2
Punjab, and it had spread up to the foot of the Hills, beyond the River Jhelum,
and as far as the boundaries of the United Provinces and Rájpútána. It is sug-
gested that the immunity of that portion of the Punjab which is still free is due to
the fact that it is for the most part sparsely populated. A few more years will
show whether plague will extend to the North-West Dry Area and to the Hills.
It, however, is remarkable that, though Mooltan and Baháwalpur reported out-
breaks in 1901-02, neither in Baháwalpur nor in Mooltan was the outbreak
severe or followed by a recrudescence. There is some reason to believe that in
Mooltan the outbreak reported as one of plague was really one of cerebro-spinal
meningitis, and the same may have been the case in Baháwalpur. Plague
infection imported into the Hills appears to have died out after giving rise only
to limited outbreaks such as those at. Kasauli, Sabáthu, Nálagarh, and Núrpur
in Kángra.
3. The severity of the epidemic in certain districts, as well as the rapidity
of its spread in recent years, can be judged from the following figures relating to
districts which have suffered most, viz.—
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
District.
Jullundur
...
Hoshiárpur ...
Siálkot ...
Gurdáspur ...
Ambala
...
Ludhiána
...
Ferozepore ...
Gujránwála ...
Lahore
...
Amritsar
...
Number of villages and towns.
1,226
2,128
2,355
2,255
1,725
869
1,511
1,205
1,540
1,047
PARTICULARS REGARD-
ING EPIDEMICS BE-
FORE
1901-02.
Years in which infected.
1897-1901
"
1900-1901
"
"
"
"
...
...
...
Total number of plague deaths repo
4,132
872
1,857
1,436
47
33
13
...
...
...
OUTBREAKS OF 1901-03.
Number of villages and towns infected.
673
463
933
765
404
665
91
60
411
60
Plague deaths reported, 1901-02.
18,959
12,500
34,137
16,479
22,762
48,028
6,342
2,244
9,400
1,837
Number of villages and towns infected.
714
844
383
259
187
173
230
720
759
563
Plague deaths reported, 1902-03.
85,229
19,355
14,355
5,164
6,318
4,929
7,895
45,456
25,652
27,891
Total number of plague deaths.
48,320
32,727
50,349
23,079
29,127
52,990
14,250
47,700
35,052
29,729
Population according to t
917,587
989,782
1,083,909
940,334
815,880
673,097
958,072
756,797
1,162,109
1,023,828
Percentage total plague deaths to populati
5.2
3.3
4.6
2.4
3.5
7.8
1.4
6.3
3.0
2.9
4. In addition to the districts mentioned above, outbreaks were reported
during 1901-02 in Gujrát (553 deaths), Karnál (333), Shahpur (206), Jhang
(176), Simla (4.1 deaths in Sabáthu and 1 in Simla bazár, the deceased being a
man who came up from Sabáthu and developed plague immediately), and Mooltan
(20) ; while isolated cases, resulting in 20 deaths, occurred also in Hissar, Delhi,
Kángra, Jhelum, Ráwalpindi, Dera Gházi Khan, Miánvváli and Montgomery.
5. In 1902-03 there were renewed outbreaks in all districts previously
reported as infected districts, except Moollan. In Mooltan there were a few
isolated cases only ; such cases occurred also in Delhi and Miánwáli ; and the
total number of plague deaths reported in these three districts was 10 only. In
Kángra 12 deaths were reported in a small outbreak at Núrpur, which did not
spread. In Simla the outbreak in Sabáthu continued, but it died out after Octo-
ber, and only 9 deaths were reported in the district during the year. Three im-
ported cases occurred in Simla itself, but none of these terminated fatally. In