50
Compensation up to a maximum of As. 4 may be paid on the spot to any person
whose position is such that the absence from work on account of the reactionary
fever is likely to cause him hardship.
Half an anna may be paid to any man who succeeds in bringing another man to
be inoculated.
Copies of Dr. Bhalchandra's pamphlet upon inoculation are forwarded herewith
for the use of the District Officers and distribution to volunteers and others inter-
ested.
The District Officers threw themselves heartily into the work, and
the extracts given below show the vigour with which they tackled it.
Captain Pritchard, District Officer, Central District, writes :—
Central
District.
As regards the efforts made to induce the people to inoculate themselves, it is
a fact worthy of notice that, owing to the criticisms of Colonel Lawrie, I.M.S., and
others before the Indian Plague Commission, the people of Bombay had resolutely
turned their backs on the subject of inoculation and would have nothing to do with
it. In the month of June 1899 inoculation was, one might say, unheard of in
Bombay ; for the timo being it was, to all purposes, dead— and none would dis-
cuss it.
About the middle of August the District Officers were instructed to make
special efforts to popularize inoculation. At first sight tho task seemed difficult, and
shortly afterwards impossible of achievement. The people would not listen : they
would look at you as if you were demented, or smiled pityingly and walked away at
the mere mention of inoculation. It was plain, however, that interest had to be
aroused, and, by the end of the month of July, the Times of India and some few
other newspapers began to treat with the subject. Propositions were put forward by
various people and printed in the newspapers as to the best way to get the people to
inoculate themselves. It was also shown that, though plague in epidemic form had
died out in the city, yet it was raging in Poona and other places around. The cumula-
tive force of evidence gathered from places and people who had been inoculated was
also discussed and brought to bear in support of inoculation. Government officials
were urged to set an example and get themselves inoculated before the masses in
central localities. Others suggested that inoculation by lottery was the only way to
got the poorer classes to take to it. Some said that it would be useless to try to
push inoculation amongst the ignorant poor, and therefore urged that it be made
compulsory.
Meanwhile time was usefully employed in drawing the attention of the people
ίο the benefits of inoculation through the arguments put forward in the newspapers
which dealt with the subject. I think up to the beginning of August only the
English newspapers gave space to the subject, more particularly the Times of India,
At this time, viz., in July 1899, it printed a deal of useful matter concerning inoc-
ulation at Belgaum and other places. On August the 10th, His Excellency Lord
Sandhurst opened the Plague Laboratory at Parel in the presence of the principal
residents of Bombay, English as well as Native. This added interest to the
subject and was evidence in itself that Government were satisfied on all points
concerning the value of Mr. Haffkine's prophylactic for anti-plague inoculation.
The speeches of His Excellency and Major Bannerman were widely discussed.
But, as we had to retail the substance of these speeches to the people in our districts,
we experienced many difficulties, as unexpected as they were surprising. For