34
January 1903. Chíniot City became infected in November 1902 and the tahsil in January
1903. Plague broke out in the Samundri Tahsil in February and in the Toba Tek Singh
Tahsil in April 1903.
The greater portion of the population are Muhammadans, though in the colony there
is a very large population of various races. The people of the Jhang and Maghiána cities
were very favourably disposed towards plague measures, but those in other parts of the
district were much opposed to all such measures until late in the epidemic.
When the epidemic became bad in Lyallpur town over 4,000 persons fled from it
within a fortnight, and when the disease visited Dijkot, a village containing 2,200 inhabitants,
2,000 persons fled within 10 days,
Preventive measures.
In Jhang-Maghiána City two hakims were appointed to visit and report upon all sus-
picious cases of sickness. The arrangements
for reporting cases were good, and all cases
as they occurred were detected and promptly segregated, with the result that the disease
did not spread. In Lyallpur and Chiniot cities, however, nothing of this sort was done, and
both suffered, the latter very severely.
From the villages the Patwárís submitted the returns, and in towns the cases were
reported by hakims and compounders. The returns were checked whenever an officer
visited a village.
Evacuation.
Some evacuation was done by those people in the colony who had had experience of
the disease in other parts of the Punjab. But
it was never done thoroughly, though what was
practised had good results.
Segregation.
Strict segregation of sick was carried out in all cases in Jhang-Maghiána City and in
a certain number of cases in Lyallpur City.
Some of the contacts were segregated, others
only supervised.
Occasionally villagers refused access to persons from infected areas. Very little
medical treatment was applied for, the people preferring their native remedies.
Disinfection.
Chemical disinfection, both of houses and personal effects, was carried out in all cases
which occurred in Jhang-Maghiána City.
Chiniot City only applied for disinfection late
in the epidemic. At Gojra in Toba Tek Singh Tahsil chemical disinfection of part of the
village was done at the commencement of an outbreak, and the disease was stopped. At Chak
No. 224 in the Lyallpur Tahsil after 9 cases had occurred chemical disinfection and desiccation
were done, and no further cases occurred. Altogether 1,967 rooms were chemically
disinfected. Sawhney's stoves were used in several places and with charcoal temperatures
up to 140 were obtained on the ground. Desiccation became very popular, as the people
entertained no suspicions with regard to it; 810 rooms were desiccated.
Infection.
Infection was always due to human importation. In some cases the first thing that
came to light was the death of rats, but in all
these cases it was suspected that there had been
a concealed case prior to this occurring.
Rats.
It was observed that when the mortality amongst rats was high the epidemic among
human beings was proportionately high. Cats
and dogs were observed to die in places
when the epidemic was at its height.
Type.
The bubonic type of plague largely prevailed, though it is reported that at the
end of December and the beginning of January
the majority of cases of plague were of the
pneumonic type.
The District Plague Medical Officer records that the severe outbreaks of plague
occurred among the sweepers of Lyallpur and the dhobies of Chiniot.
Medical staff and establishment.
The Medical Officers and subordinates employed on plague duty were as follows :—
Assistant Surgeon K. C. Singha, Assistant
Surgeon D. N. Mukhopadhya and 2 Com-
pounders.