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With regard to the disinfection of the whole or portions of infected houses it must
be borne in mind that in connection with the persistent infection of particular floors or
houses the primary source of the mischief vas very often not in the particular room
or rooms in which plague cases occurred. We had a notable example of this latter in
the case of the top floor of 104, Tank Street where a virulent epidemic refused to give
way to the disinfection of single rooms but which completely disappeared when a boarded-
up uninhabited loft over the site of the affected floor and from which dust found its way
into the rooms below was taken in hand and thoroughly disinfected. From the
boarded-up loft were moved twenty-six dead rats and a large quantity of bedding and
clothing left behind by persons who had either fled from or died during previous epidemics
in the same house.
Dr. Fraser considers that single-room disinfection or the disinfection of
a room with adjoining room where a death has occurred from plague,
prevents or checks the spread of plague. He states that the propor-
tion of disinfected rooms re-infected in the Central District, is about
21/2 %, and this in a total sufficiently large to base the general
conclusion that single-room disinfection limits the spread of plague.
He gives an example of a family of five living in one room in No.
6, Packmodia Street when between January 6th and loth 1901, all were
attacked, successively, and died of pneumonic plague. After complete
and thorough disinfection following on the last death, the room was
immediately occupied by another family, but no cases have occurred
there since. He then goes on to say :—
On the other hand it will be obvious that, in a house in which the primary source of the
mischief is in some part of the house untouched by our disinfectants for the reason that no
case has occurred there practically no good is got from the system of single-room disinfection
for the reason that you do not touch the fons et origo mali. Then again in a house in
which the disease is generally disseminated little good is to be obtained by following out
the system of single-room disinfection. And this has long since been apparent from a
study of house-registers.
The following facts will serve to bear out my contention that a system of whole house
disinfection will limit or actually stop an epidemic in a house in which a large number of cases
have occurred. It is to be remembered that no other influence combative to plague was
evoked (such as evacuation) either before, during or after these disinfections.
Some of the instances about to be cited will further bear out the fact that disinfection
renders certain houses more healthy to live in and will further serve to show that in such an un-
healthy house an epidemic may be nipped in the bud, although if things were left to run their
ordinary course we should expect a considerable number of deaths in the house.
To illustrate how disinfection of a house in its entirety nips an epidemic in the bud, let
us put forward as an example 20-22, Mahomed Khan Pakhadi where between the first and
4th of February we discovered no less than seven cases of plague. The result of complete
disinfection of the house has been that only one death (not from plague) has taken place
in the building up to the date of this report. There has been no further case of plague.
As illustrating the fact that complete disinfection of a house renders it more healthy
while at the same time stopping an epidemic of plague we will put forward 540, Nagdevi
Road, where after four deaths between the 6th and 26th of June last year the building was
vacated on the 3rd of July of the same year. I note from the register that a death took
place in the house on the 30th of July (presumably after re-occupation) and between then
and the date of complete disinfection of this house (17th April), a period of little more
than seven and a half months twenty-two deaths took place in this house. Since the
date of disinfection up to to-day (24th June) a period of over two months only