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consisted of one Mahomedan ward, cook-house, mortaary and latrine, one Hindu
ward, cook-house, mortuary and latrine, and one police chowky. To facilitate work,
. the slaughter-houses were placed on the telephone system of Bombay, Water was
laid on at the chawls and hospital by means of standpipes.
I soon learnt it was quite evident, that, if we wanted our own way in all
things in dealing with the Mahomedans, it would be necessary to enlist the services
of their Mullah and to take him into our confidence, I accordingly installed him as
Superintendent with the following staff under him :—
1 Mahomedan Ward Boy.
4 Eamosees.
1 Mahomedan Ward Woman.
3 Bigaries.
4 Sweepers.
A clerk was also employed. The Superintendent of Police, Thana, kindly placed
4 sepoys at my disposal for hospital duty.
The first step adopted to check the progress of the plague was the application
of scientific sanitary measures. Mr. Leask, the Acting Health Officer, sent me an
Inspector, who fumigated the rooms, disinfected the drains, and instructed the bigaries
and sweepers in their work. To prevent dampness, the cattle water-troughs, which
were close to the chawls, were removed and placed in a remote corner of the compound.
An extra latrine was erected, and all the people warned that punishment would follow,
should they defalcate elsewhere. An extra night-soil cart was employed. Between
every three rooms was placed a receptacle for the sweepings of the floors, dirty water,
and filth in general. These receptacles were kept thoroughly disinfected with
chloride of lime, and their contents removed morning and evening. All the sweep-
ings of the compound were burnt. The sanitary state of the oart outside the slaughter-
houses was very bad indeed. There were two wells in the oart, which were in
a most foal state and seemecl to be nothing but receptacles for the deposit of all
sorts of refuse, and which I looked upon as likely to have a baneful effect upon the
health of the people living there. The Municipal Commissioner kindly lent me the
services of a steam fire-engine and I had both wells pumped dry, and the owners
cleaned them out.
House-to-house visitation was rigidly carried out, and every man, woman and
child was seen by me in company with the Medical Officer daily. When a case was
discovered, it was at once removed on a litter to the hospital and the other members
of the family segregated, the room thoroughly fumigated by burning tar and sulphur
therein with all apertures closed. The tiles of the roof were then removed, the
floor was dug up and burnt together with the clothes and bedding and all rubbish
found in the house, and compensation paid to the owner. If a case occurred in a
temporary hut, it was taken down and burned.
The sanitary measures adopted at the hospital were as follows : —On
admission the patients were provided with new clothing and the clothes they wore
destroyed: a receptacle containing a disinfectant was placed at the bedside of each, in
which all expectorations were desposited and removed at once, urine and fœces were
placed in vessels containing chloride of lime and speedily destroyed by fire. At the
doors of the wards an automatic sprinkler was erected from my design which kept
constantly moist, with a solution of carbolic acid, a lung composed of porous cloth, so
that the air inside was always charged with this pow.erful purifying agent. The disposal
of the dead received the most careful attention. When death took place, the corpse
was immediately removed to the dead house, the clothing taken off and at once burnt,
and the bed and bedding thoroughly disinfected, The bodies after being washed were
clothed in new materials supplied on the spot. In the case of Mahomedans the
Mullah personally superintended the washing and dressing of the bodies.