42
Arrangements were made for the deputation to infected districts of Assistant Com-
missioners and Extra Assistant Commissioners to preach inoculation. It became evident
from the reports of these officers that the people would not accept inoculation while
the weather continued very hot, and partly for this reason and partly because of the
difficulty to be noticed presently in obtaining prophylactic apparatus and equipment it
was decided not to commence inoculation operations on a large scale until the begin-
ning of October.
Supplies.
68. Matters were at once set in hand for the collection of the necessary supplies
In order to obtain the required number of
tents every tent manufacturer in Upper India
had to be addressed, as on account of the demands made upon them on account of the
approaching Delhi Darbár several firms were unable to accept any further orders. Most
of the larger tents required were soon received, though the full complement was not
obtained until after the Darbár. The difficulty, it may be mentioned here, was to a great
extent got over by the use, when possible, of bungalows and rest-houses, and, when these
were not available, of district tents. Camp furniture was obtained from several towns in
the Punjab, most of it having been made to order in Lahore. Cooking utensils, crockery,
glasses, table-linen, lamps, &c., for the 36 European medical practitioners working in
rural areas were chiefly obtained from Calcutta ; special boxes, one for cooking utensils,
the other for crockery, etc., were made at Jullundur.
Boxes were made to contain all the equipment required by an inoculator, and in order
to provide for the requirements of Missionaries and others who might desire to carry out
inoculations one hundred of the boxes were fully equipped.
The contents of the boxes will be found in Appendix No. III.* It will there be seen
that they contained not only the instruments, etc., necessary for the actual performance of
the operation of inoculation, but the materials for maintaining records and for carrying
correspondence. With each box was supplied a small folding table and chair for use by
operators when inoculating. A perusal of the list will show that in addition to the five
syringes supplied to each operator spare parts were issued in order to permit of the
repair on the spot of syringes which might become damaged or broken.
80
The decision as to the equipment necessary was the outcome of the experience gained
during the extensive inoculations in the Jullundur and Hoshiárpur Districts performed during
the hot weather of 1900, and the object aimed at was the prevention of delays for
want of apparatus. Attention may here be called to the inoculating stamps and to the
arrangements for obtaining duplicates of inoculation certificates. These stamps, of one
of which an impression is given in the mar-
gin, were issued in order to enable in-
oculators to comply with the instructions which
will be found in Appendix III. It was neces-
sary that each inoculator should keep the stamp
himself, not let it get into the hands of others,
and hence it was desirable that it should be small enough to go into the waist-coat pocket.
A portable stamp, which with its case was smaller than an ordinary watch, was designed by
Captain C. H. James, I. M. S.
As will be seen on reference to Appendix No. III,+ it was considered desirable to let
each person bring his or her inoculation certificate at the time of the operation. This could
only be accomplished by some duplicating process. The ordinary method of inserting a
piece of carbon paper between the original and the copy would necessitate the use of very
thin paper for the inoculation certificates, and this would render them too easily torn to be
serviceable. Moreover, when working under great pressure, as it was expected would
very frequently be the case, the insertion of a piece of carbon paper between each certificate
and its duplicate would cause much difficulty and delay. A plan was therefore devised by
which to the back of each certificate form was gummed by a corner only a piece of tissue
paper so thin as to be easily transparent. Tablets of soft wood, a little bigger than the
certificate, with one surface smoothed, were provided, with a special duplicating composition
to be smeared as required on the smooth surface of the tablet.
In writing out the certificates the form with its attached slip of tissue paper was laid
upon the tablet and entries made with a hard pencil ; the entries were thus reproduced
on the back of the tissue paper, but this being very thin the writing could be read through
it As it was not necessary to keep the duplicates after the entries had been copied in
a register, usually within a few hours, there was not the same objection to the perishable
nature of the duplicates as in the case of the certificates.
Some difficulty was experienced in obtaining a sufficient quantity of suitable tissue
paper ; most of it had to be got from England.
Inoculation syringes and spare parts were supplied by the Plague Research
Laboratory and were of the pattern made specially by Colin of Paris. Each was of the
capacity of 20 c. c.
* Page lvii.
t Page xxx, Chapter IV, paragraph 32 (2).