25
April the 18th, when 6,418 cases with 4,275 deaths were recorded. These were the high-
est weekly totals returned by any single district in the Province during the present epi-
demic. From this time onwards the disease rapidly declined, the last cases occurring
during the week ending July the 11th. The disease reappeared during the week ending
September the 26th. The exceptional rainfall and consequent reduction of the tempera-
ture at the commencement of the hot weather were held to have prolonged the season of
the epidemic.
Attitude.
The attitude of the people was at first distinctly adverse to all Government measures,
but later as the epidemic became severe they
availed themselves of inoculation and of
desiccation in certain places.
Preventive measures.
At Gujránwála Town surveillance over all arrivals by train from the Siálkot District
was maintained. In the villages, however, very
little was done to prevent the access of persons
from infected places. Guards were, however, placed around some villages to exclude strangers,
but without much effect. Reference has already been made to measures taken at Hafizabad in
connection with an imported case of plague. The Patwári of Rampur, a village of the Háfizabad
Tahsíl, refused admission to a man who had come from an infected village. He was put
in a Chamár's house outside the village and died ten days later of plague. The house was
disinfected and the disease did not spread.
Information.
Information of plague cases and deaths was obtained from Patwárís according to
the instructions in the Plague Manual, but the
reporting was very imperfect.
Evacuation.
Evacuation of villages, and the segregation of sick and contacts, were measures
which were never resorted to. Beyond a
few destitute cases treated in the hospital at
Gujránwála Town no medical treatment was ever carried out.
Disinfection.
Chemical disinfection was most unpopular, and though a gang of coolies was kept up,
only 141 rooms were done.
Desiccation.
Desiccation was commenced in March and became fairly popular, 4,065 rooms being so
treated. A table is given by the District Plague
Medical Officer and is reproduced below
showing 351 rooms in which the wall temperature was taken and 1;768 rooms in which the
ground temperature was taken. A registering thermometer was not used :—
Table showing the Number of Rooms desiccated in the Gujránwála District from
3oth April 1903 to 22nd June, and the Ground Temperature recorded.
Serial No.
1
2
3
4
S
6
Height of temperature.
Below 130
130—139
140-144
145—149
150-158
Above 158
Total
Number of rooms show-
ing the temperature.
89
79
71
44
426
1,059
1,768
The table shows that in the majority of cases temperatures over 150 Fahr, were obtained.
The wall temperatures were higher than the ground temperatures A few experiments were
made with a stove with a forced draught. It gave ground temperatures of 140 to 160
in 45 minutes To desiccate a room 10x10x10 it was found necessary to burn 10
seers of charcoal, 15 seers of wood or 20 seers of cowdung.
As all the desiccation was done late in the season, it was not possible to decide
whether the absence of recrudescence which followed it was due to the desiccation itself or
to the natural decline of the epidemic. The Deputy Commissioner was of opinion that if
the stoves were left in the charge of Zaildárs they would not be much used.