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The following orders are issued for disinfection operations in Bombay : —
Ordinarily in the case of houses containing a number of unconnected families
only the room or rooms which have been occupied by plague patients should be
disinfected, while in case of houses containing only one family disinfection should
be applied to the whole house. "When a number of cases occur at short intervals in
a house the District Officer will disinfect the whole house or whole floor as may
seem necessary, and he will have authority, if he deems it desirable, to disinfect
not only the house or room in which either plague cases have occurred, or dead
rats have been found, but also adjoining houses or rooms.
It is a most important part of a District Officer's duty to guide and supervise
his Sectional Medical Officers in deciding what rooms and floors and houses are
to be disinfected.
The following detailed rules should be observed :—
1. It is of the utmost importance that disinfection should be prompt and thorough.
District Officers should therefore see that every gang works under the supervision of an
intelligent and trustworthy sub-inspector. He should have a clear idea of the utility of
what he is doing, and the District Officer should regularly and carefully supervise his work.
It should be the aim of the District Officer to have a gang at work as soon as the disinfec-
tion of a place is decided to be necessary.
2. It is of the utmost importance to overcome the aversion of the people to disinfec-
tion, and their tendency to remove or secrete their belongings, which is calculated to defeat
the objects of disinfection. This can only be done by explaining to them the utility of the
measure and consulting their feelings as much as possible. In particular nothing which
could by any possibility have any value for its owner should be broken up or destroyed by
fire, and the greatest care should be taken to avoid all unnecessary damage.
3. To reduce the inconvenience to the people as much as possible the whole process
of disinfection should be carried out at one and the same time and not extended over two
days as at present.
4. To avoid hurting the feelings of the people, care should be taken that the disin-
fecting gangs are of such caste as will not be objected to by the people among whom they
work.
5. In disinfecting a room, first the furniture and effects should be taken out and
placed in the open. The room should then be disinfected with the solution of perchloride
of mercury. The solution should be poured over the floor, and the walls and ceiling should
be thoroughly scrubbed with a brush soaked in the solution. It is not necessary to disinfect
any part of the walls or ceiling which are not within reach but all recesses and places which
might have served for the reception of infected clothing should be carefully disinfected.
Every care should be taken to avoid raising dust during disinfection.
6. Where a steam sterilizer is within easy reach the clothing and household effects
should be sent to it for disinfection. But articles, such as boxes or furniture, which cannot
be conveniently sterilised in this way, or articles of leather which would be damaged in a
steam sterilizer, should be disinfected on the spot with a strong solution of phenyle ; and all
the effects should be treated in this way if a steam sterilizer is not within easy reach. The
solution of perchloride of mercury should not be used for disinfecting clothing, &c, as it is
an acid solution and would cause damage.
7. Valuable silks and other articles likely to be injured by other forms of disinfection
should be exposed for several days to the direct rays of the sun. Similarly if it is necessary
to disinfect stocks of com, which may have become infected through the agency of rats,
they should be spread out in a thin layer in the sun,
8. As soon as the room is disinfected and the furniture, &c, has been dealt with the
furniture and effects should be replaced in the room. As soon as the room is dry the inmates
should be allowed to return ; it is unnecessary to whitewash the room or keep it subsequent-
ly vacant.