23
50. The provincial figures for the years from 1909 to 1916 were 23.43,
18.38, 12.81, 15.56, 20.77, 21.53,11.78 and 2589.
51 It will be noticed that Rohtak, Karnal,Ambala, Simla, Kangra,
Jullundur, Ludhiana and Rawalpindi escaped the epidemic, and that while the
districts of Gurgaon, Amritsar, Sialkot Gujranwala, Shahpur, Mianwali,
Montgomery, Jhang, Multan, Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi Khan suffered
badly, the districts of Gujranwala, Mianwali, Montgomery, Jhang, Multan,
Muzaffargarh and Pera Ghazi Khan were visited by an epidemic more severe
than that of year 1908. It is worthy of remark that the first four of the
districts in the latter category are newly irrigated, while the last 3 are served
by inundation canals or are liable to be visited by floods connected with the
Indus or the Chenab. Taken as a whole there is no doubt but that the severity
of the epidemic was most marked in the western and south-western parts of
the province.
VI.—INFANTILE MORTALITY.
52. The infantile mortality ratio for the whole of the Province for the
year under review was 207.94 per mille. This was exceeded in 11 districts—
Muzaffargarh with 388.33, Dera Ghazi Khan 350.29, Multan 345.82, Simla
340.60, Gujranwala 336.52, Jhang 319.43, Shahpur 301.52, Montgomery 296.70,
Mianwali 291.01, Amritsar 266.81 and Sialkot 251.29. In all these districts
with the exception of Simla malaria prevailed in a virulent form.
The high infantile mortality of Simla, though partly attributable to the
ignorance of the people was probably mainly due to overcrowding and as a
result there was a greater incidence of infectious diseases, as whooping cough
and measles, with a consequent tendency to suffer from respiratory diseases.
53. The infantile mortality rate exceeded 300 per mille in the following
towns of the Punjab :—Kot Mithan 692.8, Rajanpur 678.3 Killa Didar Singh
686.2, Alipur 602.4, Khangarh 59.2, Shahpur 554.2, Shujabad 545.7,
Pakpattan 533.5, Sambrial 477.2, Karor 468.3, Ramnagar 446.2, Sahiwal
422.2, Shahkot 416.6, Khangarh 407.2, Jagadhri 398.9, Khushab 387.0,
Baghbanpura 384.0, Multan 382.4, Pindi Bhattian 380.0, Firozpur-Jhirka
3757, Begowala 367.9, Zaffarwal 366.9, Montgomery 364.1, Simla 863.1,
Pathankot 554.7, Jhang 352.3, Dalhousie and Fazilka 350.0, Wazirabad 342.0,
Muzaffargarh 341.7, Leiah 340.2, Sirsa 339.2, Dinanagar 333.3, Kamalia
331.7, Buriya 331.2, Jampur 330.1, Hafizabad 322.4, Gujranwala 319.4,
Patehabad 318.1, Isa Khel 317.3, Mianwali 315.1, Daud and Earidabad 308.0,
Chunian 307.0, Pind Dadan Khan 306.4 and Lahore 300.0.
54. This roughly coincides with the greater intensity of malaria so that,
except in a few instances, such as at Simla, Dalhousie and Jagadhri, the exces-
sive mortality rate coincides more or less closely with that due to malaria.
VII.—REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE PUNJAB MALARIA BUREAU.
. 55. The research work of the Bureau was greatly handicapped as one
of the Assistant Surgeons obtained a temporary commission in the Indian
Medical Service, and one was only a part time worker and then only up to
the middle of year. Thus one member of the staff with the assistance of
two Sub-Assistant Surgeons practically carried out the whole of the work.
In spite however of these difficult] es observations were conducted in regard
to the prevalence of malaria in a large number of towns and villages.
56. The malaria surveys of Gohana and Khangarh which had been
commenced last year were completed. Short notes on these will be submitted
as soon as the results can be worked out. A detailed report on the survey of
Thanesar was completed.
57. A detailed report on malaria in Amritsar with special recommenda-
tions by Major C. A. Gill, I.M.S., the late Chief Malaria Medical Officer,
Punjab, was submitted to Government. This is a valuable record, and it has
added much to our knowledge of malaria in the Province,