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The policy of evacuation of infected localities and houses is
based on the almost universal experience that the principal danger
in a plague epidemic is to be found in the infected locality—that
the greatest safety lies in flight. Looking at the figures, such as they
are, from this point of view, they seem to indicate a fair degree of
success from the measures adopted : and when it is borne in mind
that in large numbers of houses where two or more cases occurred, they
were separated by such an interval of time as precluded the supposition
that infection was passed from one to the other, and led rather to
the inference that the patient had brought the disease in from outside,
the case is better than the figures at first sight indicate. Captain
Lock writes :—
"It is encouraging to report that temporary evacuation was found to stop the
plague, and that it was very exceptional on the people being allowed to re-occupy
that during the then present epidemic the house would be again infected. In this
district evacuation and disinfection uave been highly successful—second cases may
have occurred in large houses, but have not been found to be in any way connected
with previous cases in that house beyond the common cause of insanitation."
Lieut. French writes :—
"It will be noticed that out of a total of 665 houses infected in as manyas
343 houses only one case occurred. It must be borne in mind also that in
those cases in which several deaths have occurred in a house or chawl, it does not
follow that the house was badly infected, or that disinfection was not a success.
The following is an instance. In one house 19 cases occurred. This looks at
first sight a very large number, but when it is taken into consideration that between
2,000 and 3,000 persons reside in the chawl, it is not very large : as a matter of fact
in many cases only one room was vacated, and this partial vacation and disinfection
proved a great success, as the chawl was never badly infected. From the above
figures and from personal observation I ana thoroughly convinced that disinfection
and evacuation have proved extremely effective in keeping the plague in check."
Captain Wooldridge has great faith in the application of hot quick-
lime subsequent to disinfection, and the following is extracted from his
report :—
"House No. 251, Arthur Road, was thoroughly disinfected with perchloride of
mercury solution, and this solution was used for 3 or a consecutive days, as the
solution in use then was much weaker than that used at the present time. After
the house had got dry, hot quick-lime-wash was used from top to bottom, with the
result that no case has occurred since 20th September 1898.
"Again No. 7007, Haines Road, suffered a great deal in 1897 from plague—
in consequence it was thoroughly disinfected as above, and there has been no
recrudescence.
" House No. 28, Clerk Road, was also thoroughly disinfected with perchlo-
ride of mercury solution, and the one room in which the 8 cases occurred was
flushed for 7 consecutive days, but no quick-lime was used, nor ordinary whitewash,
and there was one fresh case in October 1898 and 2 cases in February and 2 in March
1899.
"No. 12, Clerk Road, was also thoroughly disinfected as above, and also more
light and ventilation was given to the house, by putting in gratings in the passages
and above the doors, but no quicklime wash was applied ; a recrudescence occurred in