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Information.
(d) Information concerning plague occurrences was obtained through village officials.
The Chief Medical Officer notes that the infor-
mation thus obtained was not very reliable, for
in the early part of the epidemic cases were concealed, while later many illnesses which were
not plague were reported as such.
Evacuation.
Segregation.
During the height of the epidemic evacuation was freely resorted to, and people
learnt to avoid contact with persons suffering
from plague.
In many villages people fled into camps on finding rats ill or dead of plague in their
houses, many thus escaping the disease.
Disinfection.
(f) No chemical disinfection was carried out in Nábha State, but the people used
various means to disinfect their houses, such as
making holes in the roofs, lighting fires on the
floor, scraping and white-washing the walls, and fumigating their rooms with sulphur,
camphor or burning ' nim ' leaves.
Inoculation.
(g) The Chief Medical Officer reports that 11,628 persons were inoculated in the
Nábha State during the epidemic. Of these
only 7 persons were reported to have contracted
plague, 1 of whom was suffering from the disease during the time of the operation. Of
the remainder 5 are reported to have died within 15 days of inoculation and 1 after a month.
Infection.
The people were at first strongly opposed to inoculation, but during the epidemic
they resorted to it freely, partly as the result of the example set by State officials. As the
disease died out, the demand for inoculation decreased and finally ceased.
No accident was observed to follow the operations, though in a few persons the
re-actionary fever was high.
(h) The manner in which infection was introduced into the State has already been
referred to ; it was spread by human intercourse ;
there was no reason for suspecting that the
disease was being conveyed by grain or other merchandise, except that in a very few instances
it was thought that plague was introduced by straw from infected villages.
Mortality among rats.
(i) Sickness and mortality among rats was observed in many villages—often before
outbreaks of plague among the people. It is
mentioned, however, that the people regarded
mortality among rats as a warning of the approach of plague and that those who vacated
their houses usually escaped an outbreak of the disease.
Recommendations.
(j) The Chief Medical Officer considers that all compulsory measures for dealing with
plague are likely to be ineffectual, but recom-
mends that every assistance should be given to
those who are willing to receive it, mentioning especially the provision of huts for the poor
who cannot make suitable accommodation for themselves when leaving their houses.
He recommends desiccation as a means of disinfection of houses.
KALSIA STATE.
63. The Kalsia State consists of two parts, one of which comprising the Bassi and
Chachrauli Tahsils borders on the Ambala District ; the other part, the Chriália Iláqa, is an
island of villages in the Ferozepore District.
Both portions of the State were infected with plague during the year 1901-02, and
in both the plague arrangements were placed under the direction of the authorities of
neighbouring British Districts, the Sardár and officials of the State cordially co-operating.
A Civil Assistant Surgeon was lent by the Punjab Government to the State for employment
on plague duty in the Bassi Tahsil.