88
When due to human agency infection was most commonly conveyed by persons suffer-
ing from or incubating plague, they being either residents of uninfected villages who had
contracted the disease elsewhere—after attending the funerals of relatives who had died
of plague or fugitives from infected places.
Instances are mentioned in which infection was introduced by personal effects—
first breaking out in the houses of persons who had received clothing or other articles from
i nfected villages, and attacking persons who had not been exposed to direct infection.
Of the manner in which infection is disseminated in infected places the Deputy
Commissioner writes:—
" Rats no doubt play an important part in carrying the disease from one house to
another in the same village, and generally these animals have been found to be the first to
be infected in a village. Deaths among them have generally been noticed about a fortnight
or three weeks before such have occurred among human beings."
The statement that rats have generally been found to be the first to be infected in
a village does not necessarily mean that infection was introduced by them, and though it
probably does mean that the animals are more susceptible to the disease than is mankind.
The Plague Medical Officer suggests that plague is contracted through open sores,
and the Deputy Commissioner attributes the greater liability of women to the disease to
their being much in their houses in which they invariably go about barefooted.
Influence of local conditions.
(j) The Plague Medical Officer remarks that low-lying villages suffered most, though
it may be noted here that the epidemic was
most severe in the Shakargarh Tahsíl which
is by far the hottest and driest of the four tahsíls of the district.
The Deputy Commissioner notes that in this tahsíl plague began to decrease before it
did in the other tahsíls which were colder and damper.
Referring to the seasonal subsidence of plague, Major Dallas writes:—
" The reason for the decrease in the hot weather is, I think, no doubt, due to the fact
that people are less in their houses when it is hot than when it is cold. Even in the spring
I noticed after a shower of rain, which cooled the atmosphere considerably, there was always
a rise in the number of cases, as of course the people used their houses more."
It should be remarked, however, that the lessened activity of plague during June, July
and August cannot be altogether attributed to the more open-air life of the people, for, except
during the stress of work during the harvest in April and May, the extent to which women
live indoors is probably much the same all the year round ; and during and immediately
preceding the rains men are probably more indoors than at any other season.
Moreover, the lessened activity of plague during the hot weather and rains in the
Punjab is as well marked in towns as in villages, and as in towns the occupations of the
people are mostly such as keep them indoors, the weather has comparitively little influence
upon their habits in this respect.
Mortality among rats or other animals.
(k) Rat mortality was universal in infected villages, and in some villages it was
observed that dogs, cats and squirrels died
along with the rats. The Plague Medical Offi-
cer believes that plague manifests itself among human beings about 8 days after the first dead
rat is found in the premises. The Executive Plague Officer remarks that in some villages
where rat mortality was very great the outbreaks of plague among human beings were very
severe.
Dr. Manook states that he has used a mixture consisting of equal proportions of
Plaster of Paris and flour for the destruction of rats with satisfactory results.
Type and severity of the disease.
(l) The bubonic variety of the disease prevailed and cases of pneumonic or septic
plague were only very occasionally met with.
With regard to the variation in the severity of the disease at different seasons,
Dr. Manook notes : " It was noticeable that in April and May when the hot winds were
experienced the severity of the disease was less, viz., less mortality among the patients."
This, however, is not borne out by statistics as will be seen from the following figures which
give roughly the case mortality of plague in the Gurdáspur District for each month of the
epidemic:—
Months.
Case mortality
Octr.
... 62
Novr.
56
Decr.
67
Jany.
64
Febry.
67
March
59
1. April.
69
May.
65
June.
71
July..
68
Augt.
73
Septr.
61
It will be noticed that the only months in which the case mortality exceeded that of
April were June and August. The number of cases and deaths in June and August were