NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
APP. VIII, ]
spread of infection by land.
55
ordinarily be the duty of the District Magistrate to make arrange-
ments for the erection of such quarters in every infected town.
3. When the District Magistrate has applied Rule 2 to any place
or group of villages, no person from such place or from any village of
such group may go and reside in any other place or village, whether
within or without the same group, without a pass in that behalf from
the resident Plague Authority. To spend a night in any place consti-
tutes residence under this rule. It shall be the duty of every village
officer to prevent persons from residing in his village in breach of this
rule. District Magistrates should be instructed to issue notices, which
should be posted up in every village chavdi, prohibiting the entry into
the village site of any person coming from an infected area without a
pass from the resident Plague Authority—if a resident Plague Author-
ity has been appointed for such area—or the entry of persons show-
ing any signs of plague. This notice, copies of which should be given
to all officiating patels and village accountants, should state that the
patel and village accountant will be dismissed if the order is dis-
obeyed.
* Notwithstanding anything contained in this rule, it shall
rest with the District Magistrate, at his discretion, to exempt from the
necessity of taking out passes persons who are merely returning
from an infected area to their own village after bringing to market in
such infected area articles of food or fuel ;
Provided that such return be within eight hours after arrival,
and not after sunset, and that this exemption shall not apply to any
such person who may have entered a dwelling-house within the in-
fected area.
4. The passes to be issued by the resident Plague Authority may
be of two kinds, either (1) general or (2) special. General passes
may be given to agriculturists and others having occasion to make
daily or frequent journeys by road, rail or boat from an infected area,
and may be given for an indefinite period ; but they will not cover
residence outside of the infected area, and will not cover journeys by
rail unless that is expressly stated on them. In the case of agricul-
turists, where the resident Plague Authority is satisfied that it is
necessary for the whole family to go and work in the fields, a single
pass may be given for the family, but there must be a separate pass
for each person making a railway journey under a general pass.
Special passes shall be passes permitting persons to leave the infect-
ed area and reside elsewhere, and may be granted for households,
* Inserted by Notification No. 5608-A.—-3596-P., dated I4th October 1897.
56
Measures to prevent the
[App. VIII,
provided that the name and description of each person covered by
the pass is entered therein.
5. General passes should be given freely, and in the case of agri-
culturists working in the fields need not be revoked even should a
case of plague occur in the family of the passholder. It shall be in
the discretion of the District Magistrate to exempt all persons making
frequent journeys by road or boat from the necessity of taking out
general passes, and to direct that only persons appearing to be leav-
ing the infected area by road or boat to reside elsewhere shall be
detained at the chowkies unless they possess special passes. All
persons travelling in or with carriages and carts, or carrying luggage
of any kind, or having women and children with them (unless they
are believed to be agriculturists) may be presumed to be intending
to go and reside elsewhere.
6. Special passes may also be given freely, especially at the begin-
ning of an epidemic, when the resident Plague Authority is satisfied
that no case of plague has occurred in the house of the applicant, or in
any adjacent house or among any of his relations or associates: pro-
vided that the resident Plague Authority may always require the dis-
infection in a prescribed manner of all clothes and other articles to
be taken away before a pass is given. When the applicant is known
or suspected to have been exposed to infection, the resident Plague
Authority shall defer granting the pass until the applicant has been
kept under medical observation (1) for a period which may extend to
ten days, (2) or until the reasons for suspicion have disappeared. In
such cases disinfection of clothes, etc., should always be insisted on.
In this rule applicant includes all the persons in a household on
whose behalf a special pass is applied for.
7. Every person appearing to be sick when applying for a ticket
at a railway station booking office, or passing a chowki outwards,
shall be stopped and sent to the resident Plague Authority or a
Medical Plague Authority, unless his pass specifies his sickness.
8. When there is a town or large village in the vicinity of an
infected area, the District Magistrate may establish camps of obser-
vation at such town or large village against persons coming from an
infected area, and may detain in such camps all suspected persons
coming from such area without passes from the resident Plague
Authority.
g. The District Magistrate may appoint an inspecting Plague
Authority to tour constantly about all villages within a radius of 20
miles from an infected area for which a resident Plague Authority
has been appointed. It will be among the duties of the inspecting
APP. VIII. ]
spread of infection by land.
37
Plague Authority to explain rule 3 and their duties under it and the
rules generally to the village officers, to report village officers who
neglect their duties, to prosecute persons who may have committed
a breach of rule 3 or any other plague rule, and to inculcate on the
villagers the necessity of keeping a strict observance of rule 25 of the
Mofussil Plague Rules.
o
10. Every pass shall contain the following particulars, viz., the
name in full, caste, age, occupation, address, and if a special pass,
destination and date of departure of the person or persons covered
by it. Every pass, special or general, intended to cover journey by
rail, shall state this clearly on its face ; and such passes shall always
be in English. All passes will be dated and signed by the resident
plague authority.
11. A notice under rule I shall be withdrawn by the District
Magistrate as soon as he is satisfied that the place or group of villages
is free from infection, and a place or group of villages shall ordinarily
be considered free when seven days have elapsed without the
occurrence of any fresh local case.
12. Nothing in these rules shall render it necessary for any Euro-
pean, or any Government officiai, or any railway employé proceeding
by rail on duty, to obtain any pass, special or general, and the District
Magistrate may in his discretion extend this exemption to the families
and attendants of such persons,
No. 23.
No. 2349, dated Simla, the 26th October 1897.
From—J. P. HEWETT, Esq., C.I.E., Secretary to the Government of
India, Home Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department.
I am directed to refer to the correspondence ending with your
telegram No. 1847-P., dated the 13th instant, on the subject of pre-
cautionary measures to prevent the spread of plague from Palanpur,
and to the rules issued by the Government of Bombay in the Resolu-
tion, No. 5391—3495-P., dated the 5th instant, alluded to in your
telegram. These rules for the control of the movement of people
from infected localities have been carefully considered by the Govern-
ment of India, and I am to convey the following remarks with regard
to them.
2. In the first place it appears to the Government of India that
although the wording of rules 5 and 6 is elastic, the general tenor of
the rules is such as to give an indirect encouragement to land quaran-
tine, and that the plague authorities charged with working them might
easily, unless their action is very carefully supervised, utilise them for.
c 8
58
Measures to prevent the
[ APP. VIII.
the imposition of such quarantine. The Government of Bombay are
aware that the Government of India have been from the outset, for
reasons which have been fully explained, strongly averse to the imposi-
tion of land quarantine. This view has been endorsed by the recent
Sanitary Conference at Venice, and must be strictly followed by the
authorities in India. The Governor General in Council therefore
considers it essential that the rules must be worked with discretion and
under careful supervision, and that it is incumbent on the Government
of Bombay to make arrangements to ensure that no action is taken
under them which would amount practically to the imposition of land
quarantine,
3. In the second place the Government of India consider that the
form of the rules is open to objection, inasmuch as it exempts certain
classes of persons from their operation. Thus, under rule 5, agricul-
turists working in the fields may continue to use general passes even
though a case of plague should occur in the family of the passholder,
and rule 12 states that it shall not be necessary for any European or
any Government official, or any railway employé proceeding by rail
on duty, to obtain any pass, and that the District Magistrate may in
his discretion extend this exemption to the families and attendants of
such persons. The views held by the Government of India on the
subject of the form of rules to control the movement of people were
explained in paragraph 4 of my letter No. 1602, dated the 28th May
1897, with regard to the special case of the regulations for the pro-
tection of Mahableshwar from the spread of infection. The Government
of India are totally opposed to any interference with the ordinary avo-
cations of persons who are not sick or suspicious, but in their opinion
it is wrong to exempt special classes of persons from the operation of
the rules. The principle which should govern the rules is that they
should apply to all classes, but that detention should be enforced only
in the case of such persons as are considered " suspicious " by the
responsible officer in the exercise of the wide discretion described in
the Notification of the Government of Bombay, No. 3285—2425-P.,
dated the 15th June 1897. I am to request that, with the permission
of the Governor in Council, the form of the rules may be revised in
the sense of these remarks.
4. Rule 2 fixes the period of segregation for applicants for passes
whom it is considered necessary to detain for seven days. In the
opinion of the Government of India, this period should be raised to ten
days, the term fixed by the Venice Sanitary Convention. It is not
safe to permit the departure of a suspicious person until he has been
kept in segregation for the full ten days period. A similar alteration
is required in rule II.
APP. VIII ]
spread of infection by land
59
5. In conclusion, I am to say that the Governor General in Council
is convinced that these elaborate rules for the control of the move-
ment of people from infected localities will be powerless to check the
spread of the disease unless they are accompanied by stringent
measures to suppress the malady within the infected areas, Indeed
it appears to His Excellency in Council that in the absence of such
measures the compulsory detention of the inmates in infected localities
will tend to foster the growth of the epidemic, and to establish plague
foci whence the disease may spread with even greater virulence than
if no measures had been devised to prevent the egress of the inhabi-
tants. His Excellency in Council is therefore strongly of opinion
that the most important object to aim at is, not the control of the
movement of the people ( but the adoption of such well-devised and
stringent measures as will prevent the occurrence of plague cases
from engendering fresh dangerous plague centres, whence the infec-
tion will certainly spread in spite of all efforts to confine it. Experi-
ence has shown that the measures upon which reliance may be placed
to effect this end are in outline—
(1) The prompt detection of cases by (a] search parties, and (b)
better registration of deaths.
(2) The removal of the sick to segregation hospitals.
(3) The detention in segregation of healthy occupants of infect-
ed houses.
(4) The evacuation of infected quarters.
(5) The cleansing and disinfection of infected houses and quarters.
(6) General sanitary improvements, such as the abatement of
overcrowding and the improvement of ventilation and
drainage.
His Excellency in Council is convinced that the general adoption
of these measures in all places in which plague exists is essential, and
the only means by which the danger of the general dissemination of
the disease which now unfortunately exists can be averted. His
Excellency in Council therefore trusts that every effort will be made
to adopt these all-important precautions with general promptitude and
vigour. In your telegram No, P.-1571-P., dated the 23rd Septem-
ber, it is stated that district officers understand the necessity for
evacuating infected houses in rural tracts, and that the rain had
hitherto made the provision of segregation camps a matter of very
great difficulty and in some cases impossibility. Now that the rainy
season is over, this difficulty will have been removed, but the Govern-
ment of India are without further information as to what steps are
actually being taken to ensure the evacuation of infected houses and
localities. They would be glad to receive an assurance that this, as
60
Measures to prevent the
[ APP. VIII.
well as the other necessary precautions, are being generally and
thoroughly carried out.
6. With regard to the special case of Palanpur, I am to say that,
subject to the remarks made in the preceding paragraph, the Govern-
ment of India have no objection to the imposition of the Regulations
of the 5th instant at Palanpur, and in especial the enforcement of the
provision of rule I which deals with the subject of the railway pas-
senger traffic. In your telegram of the 13th instant it is stated that
the latter portion of my telegram of the 8th instant beginning
" quarters at Palanpur " is not understood. The meaning of the pas-
sage in question was that the Government of India desired to know
whether the infected portions of the town of Palanpur had been
evacuated and the residents detained in segregation. The Governor
General in Council attaches the utmost importance to the adoption of
all possible means to stamp out the dangerous epidemic in Palanpur.
Later correspondence regarding the stoppage of third
class Railway Traffic.
No. 24.
Telegram No. 1287-P., dated 5th April 1897.
From—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department.
Commissioner in Sind telegraphs :—Begins. Owing bad type
plague prevailing Sukkur and doctors engaged in town, Manager,
North-Western Railway, has at my request stopped booking second,
intermediate and third class passengers to stations in Punjab and
Baluchistan from Sukkur, Bagarji, Rohri and Sangi, except under
written permission of Sukkur-Rohri Plague Committee. Measure
seemed necessary protection Punjab and trust Government will issue
notification. Ends. Government of Bombay will readily agree to
any restrictions Government of India like to impose.
No. 25.
Telegram No. 1278, dated 13th April 1897.
From—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department.
Your 1287-P., dated 5th. Stoppage by Commissioner in Sind
of booking except first class to Punjab and Baluchistan from Sukkur
and neighbouring stations, Government of India consider it suffi-
cient to medically examine all passengers booking at Sukkur giving
APP. VIII. ]
spread of infection by land.
61
inspecting officer wide discretion to retain under observation all
persons who are suspicious by reason of their symptoms, appearance
or the state of their clothes or personal effects, and all persons unable
to give satisfactory addresses and who are not likely to be traced or
give information of plague cases. Destinations of persons allowed to
go should be noted and communicated to local officials. Government
of India presume that authorities at Sukkur are taking necessary steps
to isolate sick and disinfect and where necessary burn houses attacked,
placing persons who have been in contact with sick under observation
in segregation camps. Occupants of houses immediately adjoining
infected houses might advantageously be treated in same way.
No. 26.
Telegram No. M.—399-P., dated Mahableshwar, the 15th May 1897.
From—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department.
Commissioner, Sind, wires:—Begins. "District Magistrate, Suk-
kur, wires : Plague increasing Rohri and exodus commenced and evade
local arrangements. Have requested Manager, Lahore, stop all
booking temporarily, except with written permission of Plague
Committee from Sukkur and Rohri, and from all stations between
Rohri and Shikarpur, excluding Shikarpur, and from all stations
between Rohri and Reti, excluding Reti, and from all stations between
Rohri and Setharji. Am proceeding Sukkur and hope interruption
passenger traffic will be temporary. Will arrange permit people free
from suspicion to depart' Ends. Orders solicited.
No. 27.
Telegram No. 1514, dated Simla, the 18th May 1897.
From—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department.
Your telegram of 15th instant, regarding proposals of Magistrate
of Sukkur about railway traffic. Government of India fear it will be
impossible to arrange for passes to non-suspected persons at all stations
from which booking is to be stopped, and arrangements proposed are
not in accordance with views expressed in my telegram No. 1278 of
I3th April. Would it not be possible to arrange for stoppage and
isolation of all suspected persons at Rohri itself ? On the Shikarpur
side the Indus crossing can presumably be guarded. Government of
India would be glad to learn what arrangements have been made
for cleansing Rohri, evacuating infected quarters and providing for
infected persons there. Daily telegrams show 25 cases in Shikarpur
District between 8th and 15th May. How many of these occurred at
Rohri?
6 2
Measures to prevent the
[ APP. VIIÍ.
No. 28.
Telegram No. M.—599-P., dated Mahableshwar, the 1st June 1897.
N
From—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department.
Your telegram 1514-Sanitary of 18th ultimo, Rohri. For week
ending May 7th—20 plague cases, 17 deaths; 14th—19 cases, 16
deaths; 21st—9 cases, 5 deaths; 28th—II cases, 5 deaths. Sukkur
taluka, no case reported for week. Rohri taluka, no case reported
since 24th. Arrangements for isolation of sick, evacuation of infected
quarter Rohri good, and for guarding Indus booking now resumed
between Ruk and Sukkur inclusive, and Setharji and Tando Masti
Khan inclusive. Indus can be guarded on Sukkur side. Proposal for
stoppage and isolation of all suspected persons at Rohri not fully
understood. Government would prefer not to interfere with Mr.
Wingate's arrangements ; he is anxious to interfere as little as
possible with booking arrangements.
No. 29.
Telegram No. 1646, dated Simla, the 4th June 1897.
N
From—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department,
To—The Secretary to the Government of Bombay, General Department.
Your telegram No. 599-P., dated 1st. Plague at Rohri. Meaning
of suggestion in my telegram 1514 of 18th May that all suspected per-
sons should be stopped and isolated at Rohri itself is that instruc-
tions prescribed for Sukkur in my telegram 1278, dated 13th April,
should be applied at Rohri for protection of Punjab and other places,
namely, that all passengers booking at Rohri should be immediately
examined, inspecting officer being given wide discretion to retain
under observation all persons who are suspicious by reason of their
Symptoms, appearance or state of their clothes and all persons
unable to give satisfactory addresses and who are not likely to be
traced or give information of plague cases. If it is considered
necessary to stop booking at stations in neighbourhood of Rohri to
prevent evasion of inspection, Government of India would not object
to this course ; but this is all they can consent to, and they request
that the prohibition against booking to the remainder between Rohri
and Reti may be withdrawn.
No. 30.
Telegram, dated Ganesh Khind, the 12th June 1897.
From—The Private Secretary to the Governor of Bombay,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department.
Your telegram 1646-Sanitary of 4th June. Commissioner in
Sind wires :—Begins. Booking is reopened between Pano Akil and
63
ÁPP. VIII. ]
spread of infection by land.
Reti, both inclusive, and at Khairpur; booking is reopening at Rohri
by mail trains and from I2th instant by all trains. This meets Gov-
ernment India wishes. Ends.
No. 31.
Telegram No. 100, dated the 26th March 1897.
From—The Agent to the Governor General, Baluchistan,
To—The Foreign Secretary, Calcutta.
There is serious risk of plague extending to Quetta, owing
to number of arrivals here from Karachi and infected towns in Sind.
Two hundred such arrivals in last five days. If plague reaches
Quetta, it will probably extend to Afghanistan. It seems to me only
effective means of prevention is imposition of quarantine. Jacobabad
is imposing quarantine on all arrivals from Sukkur, Shikarpur, Kotri,
Hyderabad, Larkana, and Karachi, and I would strongly recommend
that similar quarantine should, with permission of Commissioner in
Sind; be imposed at Jacobabad on all native third class and inter-
mediate class passengers for Baluchistan from these places except
perhaps servants of first and second class passengers. I could
establish quarantine at Sibi, but though better than nothing this
would not be nearly as effective as quarantine at Jacobabad, as pas-
sengers might alight at intervening stations. With quarantine on
railway passengers at Jacobabad, it should be almost impossible for
disease to reach Baluchistan owing to intervening desert. I regard
this as a matter of urgency as if done at all, it should be done at
once before it is too late,
No, 32.
Telegram No. 1123, dated Simla, the 28th March 1897.
From—The Secretary to the Government of India, Home Department,
To—The Agent to the Governor General, Baluchistan.
Your telegram 100 of 26th, to Foreign. Government of India have
in view of fact that land quarantine has always proved ineffective and
that it affords opportunities for oppression and corruption and is
likely to give rise to disease at places where it is enforced refused
permission to establish it in other places in India. The fact that
desert has to be crossed would render effective quarantine easier
at Jacobabad than elsewhere, and in view of possibility of plague
advancing by Baluchistan to Afghanistan the considerations stated
above may in present instance be outweighed by political considera-
tions. But if quarantine is to be imposed it should, in the opinion of
Government of India, be imposed within British Baluchistan and not
in Sind. Would it be possible to make arrangements at Jhatpat
within your jurisdiction? If quarantine is imposed, it must, in the