45
The authorities of the Plague Research Laboratory were therefore asked to distribute
the available supply as follows:—1,000 doses daily to each of the districts of Jullundur,
Hoshiárpur, Gurdáspur, Siálkot, Lahore and Ambala ; 750 doses daily to Ludhiána ; 500 doses
daily to Ferozepore and Amritsar ; and 2,250 closes to the Central Disinfection Depôt,
Jullundur. The last supply was intended to be distributed to meet the demands of districts
other than those named above.
Afterwards all prophylactic was sent to the Central Disinfection Depôt upon which
District Plague Medical Officers indented for supplies.
The necessity of deputing the Chief Plague Medical Officer to Bombay rendered it
impossible for him to superintend the final preparation of the scheme and the commencement
of operations. There was thus some delay in the distribution of forms necessary for the
preparation of statistics concerning plague occurrences and inoculations. The responsibility
of starting operations had to be left largely to officers who had had no previous experience
of such work.
This latter difficulty was partly overcome by the appointment of Major James, I. M. S.,
as Inspecting Inoculation Officer, but it naturally took some time for him to visit every
District Plague Medical Officer.
The first supply of prophylactic was received from Bombay towards the end of
September. There was also a small stock of prophylactic prepared by the original method
in some districts and this was also brought into use.
Course of operations.
September.
74. During September 24,268 persons were inoculated, their distribution by dis-
tricts being as follows :—Jullundur 1,091,
Hoshiárpur 636, Gurdáspur 654, Siálkot 1,909,
Ludhiána 1,064, Lahore 6, Ambala 10,330,
Shahpur 8, Ferozepore 7,523, Gujranwala 759, Amritsar 91, Gujrát 137 and Simla 50.
These inoculations, although not performed during the year 1902-03, are" mentioned
here as they formed part of those carried out in connection with the operations under
report.
October.
75. During October 111,337 persons were inoculated and the prospects of the people
availing themselves so largely of the operation
as to make the scheme a success appeared
most promising.
Contaminated prophylactic.
76. Towards the end of this month however circumstances occurred which threw
some doubt on the purity of the prophylactic and
very strict orders were issued that the contents
of each bottle of prophylactic should be carefully examined by the operator himself before he
took it into use. Soon after the issue of these orders reports were received from the several
districts which left no room for doubt that a considerable quantity of the prophylactic was
contaminated, and in view of the extreme danger of using fluid of which the purity could be
guaranteed the Director-in-Chief, Plague Research Laboratory, was asked by telegram on
October 30th to discontinue the supply to the Punjab of the fluid as then prepared. A request
was made at the same time that the original method of preparing the prophylactic might be
immediately reverted to. Orders were issued directing the practical suspension of inocula-
tion in those districts in which the demand for it was least and the withdrawal from every
district of all fluid prepared by the new process. District Plague Medical Officers were
instructed to retain for use only prophylactic prepared by the original method and to send all
fluid prepared by the process to the Central Disinfection Depot, and in view of the fact that
but a small quantity of such fluid was available, it was arranged that all prophylactic pre-
pared by the original process should be reserved for use in districts in which there was a
demand for inoculation.
The Mulkowál accident.
77. Before the orders recalling the new fluid had time to take effect a terrible
accident occurred.
On the morning of November 6th several persons, who had been inoculated on Octo-
ber 30th, were found to be suffering from tetanus under circumstances that left no room for
doubt that their illness was directly due to their having been inoculated. As soon as news
of this disaster reached Government, orders were issued for the immediate and complete
cessation of inoculation throughout the Punjab.
The particulars of the accident above referred to are as follows :—
On October 30th Dr. Elliot, one of the European Medical Practitioners, visited
Mulkowál, a small village of some 400 inhabitants, about four miles from Gujrát, some of the
people of which had expressed their willingness to be inoculated. In order to re-assure some
persons who had doubts as to the safety of the operation Dr. Elliot offered to inoculate
himself first and bared his arm for the purpose. The people, however, said they did not
need this demonstration and a number of them came forward of whom 100 were inocu-
lated.