6
Crime.
While plague had the effect of diminishing litigation an increase of crime was re-
ported in many badly-infected districts. This
increase was chiefly due to thefts of property
lying unprotected in evacuated houses, and as these thefts were often not discovered tor
considerable periods, the crimes frequently escaped detection.
Attitude of the people towards plague measures.
6. The attitude of the people towards plague measures, though it differed slightly
in different districts and at different periods
of the epidemic, may best be described by
saying that those measures were most adopted which involved the least amount of
official interference, and that as a rule none were resorted to until forced upon
the people by bitter experience. As no official compulsion was used there were no
conflicts between officials and the people, though the latter often regarded the former
with suspicion, declaring that the measures, such as disinfection or inoculation, were
but means of spreading plague in order to get rid of the surplus population. Such
measures as were adopted by the people themselves—as for example, evacuation, or
arrangements for preventing the access of strangers to villages—were but rarely carried
out thoroughly and consequently were often without much benefit.
Climate, soil and water-supply.
7. A reference to the second of the maps prefixed to this report will show that almost
the whole of the Province east of the river
Jhelum and south of the Himalayas was infect-
ed with plague, with the exception of the most southernly portion bordering for the most
part on the Bikaner desert. The climate of the whole of this area is very similar, but the soil
and water-supply vary considerably in different districts and in different parts of the same
district. ' 1 hose districts which have been referred to as having suffered most severely are
all included in the submontane area. the water-supply of which is good, and the soil pro-
ductive. Next to the submontane districts the Lahore and Ferozepore Districts were most
badly affected, and in these districts, although the natural water-supply is not so good, there
is a large amount of irrigated land. References will be found in subsequent portions of
this report to variations in the severity of the outbreaks in different parts of certain dis-
tricts, for example, to the comparative immunity from plague of that part of the Ambala
District situated in the foot-hills and of a part of the Sialkot District in which the
water was at a depth from the surface.
It is there pointed out that the difference is probably due more to the diminished
density of the population, resulting in the one area from the inferior quality of the soil, and
in the other from the scarcity of water than to these conditions themselves. It would
seem most probable that this conclusion applies to the Punjab as a whole ; for, though in cer-
tain districts with a dense population, as for instance the Amritsar District, the outbreaks
of plague were comparatively small, yet the statement in the main holds good, that those
areas suffered most from plague the population of which was densest, and this not merely
because there were more persons to fall victims to the disease, but because in areas in
which the distances between villages were generally less than a mile, there was much
greater inter-communication than in areas in which—as in parts of the Ambala District—the
villages consisted of a few huts scattered on the hillsides remote from other hamlets, or in
which—as in parts of the Sialkot District—a visit from one village to its neighbour
involved a journey of 5 or 10 miles.
Measures tak'n with a view to prevent outbreaks of
plague in infected places.
8. Surveillance over new arrivals from infected places was but sparingly exercised
except in Simla, where special arrangements
existed. In many districts the villagers
availed themselves of the power of refusing
access to persons from infected places, sometimes with success, though in most instances
their efforts were rendered futile owing to the absence of concerted action.
Arrangements tor obtaining information.
9. The arrangements for obtaining information were much the same throughout the
Province. Lambardars and Chaukidars re-
ported plague occurrences to Patwaris who
recorded them and furnished returns, in some districts to Civil, and, in others, to the
Medical authorities.
In no district was it possible to exercise a sufficient check over the returns ; indeed,
in most districts no attempt was made to do so. On the whole, however, District Officers
were satisfied that the returns submitted indicated very fairly the number of deaths from
plague. In many districts a tendency to conceal plague cases at the commencement of
outbreaks was noticed. this changing later to a disposition to report all deaths as having
been due to plague. The effect of these circumstances on the value of the returns is
noticed in the reports on the districts concerned.
Evacuation.
10. The value of evacuation of infected houses and villages as a measure of checking
outbreaks of plague is well recognised by the
people of the Punjab, and was the measure
most commonly resorted to by the inhabitants of infected villages.