§9
however so small (314 cases with 224 deaths in June and 30 cases with 22 deaths in August
that percentages based upon them are not as valuable as those based upon the larger figures
(4,250 cases with 2,918 deaths) of April. It is possible too that the high death-rate in the
months of June, July and August may be due to a number of cases not having been recognised
as plague.
Classes affected.
(m) The classes who suffered most from plague were chiefly menials or others whose
duties required them to attend in one way or
other upon infected persons—water-carriers,
Brahmins, Mullahs, barbers and Achárajs, or who lived indoor lives, such as shop-keepers,
carpenters and shoe-makers, or who were very poor, such as Chamars—while Gujars, Rájpúts,
Pathuns and Syads were reported to have suffered less than other classes.
Women of all classes suffered more than men.
Treatment.
n) Dr. ManOok found that the earl;
incision of buboes gave very favourable results.
Recommendations.
(o) Major Dallas is not much in favour of partial disinfection of villages, though he
considers that total disinfection would be most
advantageous. He considers that inoculation is.
the most important measure yet devised for dealing with plague.
Dr. Manook recommends that a fund should be placed at the disposal of Medical
Officers for distribution to the very poor when inoculated in order to prevent their suffering ,
loss from the enforced idleness for a day or two following the operation. Dr. Manook also
recommends that the prevention of persons who negligently spread plague should be more
freely resorted to.
Dunera Inspection Post.
(p) In order to try and protect the hill station of Dalhousie from infection,
a Plague Inspection Post was established at
Dunera on 24th April 1902. At first this was
a Disinfection and Inspection Post, but latterly it was only an Inspection Post. No
actual case of plague was detected, and no cases of plague were imported into Dalhousie
Staff and establishment.
(q) The following Medical Officers and
subordinates were employed on plague duty
in the district:—
1. Dr. G. Manook.
2. Assistant Surgeon Basharat Ahmad.
3. Assistant Surgeon Garish Chandra Chatterjee.
4. Assistant Surgeon Chandra Shikár with 2 Hospital Assistants, 3 Compounders
and 2 Dháís.
Rái Bahádur Sobha Rám, Civil Surgeon, with 1 Hospital Assistant, 1 Compounder
and his District Native Supervisor of Vaccination and 2 Vaccinators, did plague duty in
addition to ordinary duties.
Note.—Assistant Surgeon Chandra Shikár with 1 Hospital Assistant and 2 Dháis was posted to the Dunera
Piague Inspection Post, but he was relieved by Assistant Surgeon G. C. Chatterjee afterwards when he reverted to
Civil duty.
SIALKOT DISTRICT.
50. The Siálkot District suffered severely from plague during the year 1901-02, 51,914
cases with 34,137 deaths having been reported. Of these 1,685 cases and 862 deaths occurred
in the city, 89 cases with 69 deaths in the cantonment of Sialkot, and 50,140 cases with
33,206 deaths in the rest of the district.
It was recorded in the Plague Report for rgoo-01 that there was no complete dis-
appearance of the disease during the hot whether of 1901, though the extent to which it
prevailed was not accurately known. By the beginning of October 1901 plague was known
to exist in several villages in the Zafarwul Tahsíl, and before the end of these months 20
villages were infected. In November plague appeared in the Siálkot and Pasrúr Tahsíls,
the Raya Tahsíl became infected in December, and the Daska Tahsíl in January 1902. The
epidemic came to an end in June, no case Laving been reported during July August and
September 1902.