103
Methods of obtaining information concerning plague
occurrences.
(c) Information of plague occurrences in villages was supplied through Patwárís by
Lambardárs. The Civil Surgeon, states that
in almost all cases the outbreak was first
verified by himself or his subordinate. No
other check on the returns was exercised.
Mr. Estcourt writes :—
" I do not think there was any tendency to conceal cases of plague ; in fact a number
of cases were reported to be plague which were subsequently diagnosed not to be plague."
He mentions however that in some villages in which the pneumonic type of the
disease prevailed the people could not be got to believe that plague was amongst them.
Evacuation.
(d) Of evacuation Mr. Estcourt writes :—
" At both Kaon and Baháwal in the first instance, the people were induced to evacuate
their village, but the evacuation was not complete : in nearly every house the oldest man was
left behind to act as a chaukídár, and people got supplies from their houses daily. The
result was that though the plague was checked to a certain extent, it did not die out, and
as soon as the people returned to the village during a storm, the disease broke out again
with increased vigour. In -no other cases was even partial evacuation carried out except
slightly at Shádiwál. Miss Joss, a Missionary lady working at Shádiwál, induced all the
Native Christian community to leave their houses completely and formed a camp for them
on a site given by a zamíndár. A few other people also used chhappars which were sent for
the village. At Jakalian every effort was made to induce the people to leave the village,
but without success. In many cases the people agreed to leave the village, but procastinated,
and when it came to the final point, absolutely refused to leave the village.
Segregation.
(e) With the exception of the segregation in their own houses of imported cases in the
town of Gujrát to which reference has already
been made, there was no segregation of sick
or contacts in the Gujrát District.
Huts were built outside Gujrát Town for the purpose of segregating plague patients
and their attendants, but no body could be persuaded to use them.
Disinfection
(f) Preparations were made or carrying out disinfection on a large scale in the Gujrát
District at the beginning of the epidemic ; two
disinfecting gangs were fully equipped and a
stock of disinfectants laid in.
Chemical disinfection.
Very little chemical disinfection was done on account of the objection on the part
of the people to vacate their houses, and it
was particularly limited to places where isolat-
ed cases of plague had occurred and the patients had either died or recovered.
In Gujrát Town 28 houses and at Lilla Musa the railway station and four shops were
disinfected.
No objection was raised to disinfection.
In Shádiwál and a few other places phenyle was used for the disinfection of their
houses by the people themselves, and a supply was kept by the Civil Surgeon for selling to the
people at cost price.
Popular methods of disinfection.
In some villages and in the town of Gujrát, a few people tried to disinfect their
houses by whitewashing them and by sprin-
kling lime on the floor. Others lit fires in
infected rooms, and the Deputy Commissioner remarks that the heat generator made in
Jammu was well known in the district and thought highly of by the people.
Inoculation.
(g) Only 1,253 persons were inoculated in the Gujrát District during the year under
report.
Of these 1,116 were inoculated between March and June and 137 in September.
With the exception of 37 persons who were inoculated at Shadiwal and 46 at Lála
Masa, inoculation was confined to Gujrát Town where it was performed at the dispensary.
The persons inoculated at GujrH included most of the officials and a number of
school boys ; the Zaildárs of infected villages were also inoculated. Such inoculation as was
confined at Shádiwál was due to the influence of a Missionary lady, who had herself inocu-
lated as an example.
The persons inoculated at Lála Musa were all railway employés. No inoculated
person was attacked with plague, with the exception of one instance, in which an abcess
formed at the seat of inoculation; no injury was observed to follow the operation.