86
fection where there is a crop of cases—and where as ofoldone was able to clear out a
chawl and thoroughly cleanse it—disinfection plays a distinct part in checking plague and is
most efficacious. Take the case of 478, Delisle Road, where seven cases occurred in the com-
mencement of the epidemic within three days. I cleared out the people and thoroughly
disinfected the place and tile turned it, and have not had a single case of plague in it
since. Similar results were obtained in 1243, Parel village, G7 and 57, Suparibag Road,
52 and 72, Curry Road.
As to the efficacy of individual disinfection of rooms such as refers to imported cases
and cases occurring singly, I am unable to say whether it has in any way checked or altered
the course of epidemic—there is no proof either way. In isolated cases the disinfection
is postponed until recovery or death of patient and this means some times (generally in fact)
a long period extending often over 15 days in which the tenement remains undisinfected
and yet it is a fact, out of 491 such isolated cases only 39 contacts out of the many people
who see the patient, were discovered to have contracted plague.
Lieut. Shakespeare states that disinfection was always carried out
according to the standing orders which have been found to work well
and smoothly. He goes on to say :—
Disinfection as at present carried out shows the best results. When a house, in which
four or five cases have occurred in rapid succession, is taken in hand and disinfected from
top to bottom. Very seldom does plague assume epidemic proportions in any house thus
treated; whereas the process of disinfecting single rooms as cases occur is endless and means
that the people dodge in and out of the various rooms spreading the disease.
The necessity for the closest supervision of disinfection work in
particular is made apparent in the subjoined report of the late Lieut.
Carpenter who was in charge of the district. He states :—
It may be of interest to mention that last week an attempt was made to bribe me. A
death had occurred in a room used for business purposes by Mahoniedans on the first floor
(front) of 19-21, Nagdevi Street. I heard it was plague. Anticipating possible trouble, I
went with a sub-inspector and gang to the house. As usual in such rooms, the floor was practi-
cally covered with mattresses and pillows on which men sat to write and transact business.
Every article of kit was taken by me. The owners, though quite quiet, were very unwilling
to let the kit go, and repeatedly asked for 'Mehrbani.' They then told me that the man
had died in the adjoining room, which communicated, as a reason for my not taking their
kits. Eventually one man, after consultation with the others, approached me with a view
to a little quiet conversation outside. I saw by his gestures what he meant, but told him to
say what he had to say in the room, and explained clearly that those games would not pay
him. The matter was then dropped. From a short conversation I had with an old
Mahomedan and another downstairs, both evidently connected with the men upstairs, it
transpired that they thought I was an " Inspector." I told them I was from a 'Pultan'
and they seemed somewhat surprised. This belief of theirs might explain their behaviour.
Had I not been present it is quite possible they might have tried the same thing on the
inspector.
To my own knowledge, one of my sub-inspectors was once offered Re. 1 when disinfect-
ing a house. To induce him not to tell me that in a certain box I had overlooked there
were a number of sarees (for sale). He reported the incident to me. The sarees in this
case were not sterilized, as there was a possibility of their getting harm from the process.
Lieut. Dalgliesh reports as follows :—
No difficulty of any consequence was experienced in carrying out disinfection
according to standing orders. I found that disinfection of entire houses was of use
in checking plague, but in most cases breaking out again a mouth or two after the disinfec-
tion had taken place. Many instances could be given from the office records where