160
[CHAP. VII.
It will be seen therefore that no less than 105 cases (78 fatal) had been imported into the Kami
District before the disease established itself : for, throughout this period of nearly two years,
not a single indigenous case was reported.
The protective measures adopted on the District being threatened, at first few and on
a small scale, but still thorough, grew with the increasing menace, until they culminated in
the famous Anand Camp, Anand Cordon and Mahi Cordon. These will be treated in detail
below.
On the occurrence of the first few imported cases (January 1897) a system of examina-
tion of passengers by rail was introduced ; the names and destinations of all passengers arriv-
ing from Bombay (then the only badly infected place) were registered ; the authorities at
the destination of such passengers were informed ; and all such persons were watched,
wherever they might go, for a period of eight days, Plague Authorities were appointed,
and examination of arrivals took place at Kapadvanj, Matar Borsad and Mahudá. The
Collector was also instructed (February 1897) to watch the total death-rate from all causes
in the chief towns in his District.
Some four or five cases of plague, which occurred at Rutlam in August 1 897, were
reported to have come from Dakor ; but the most careful inquiries, made at Dakor by
the Collector and the Civil Surgeon in person, failed to establish the existence of the disease
there. The Collector arrived at Dakor on the 15th August, and instituted examination by a
Medical Officer of all persons in houses in which deaths occurred ; the surveillance of all
persons who arrived sick at Dakor ; and periodic visits by a Medical Officer to the 36 Sadhu
Dharamshálas. Meanwhile, the Dakor pilgrimage was stopped.
The Anand Camp and
Gordon.
The Anand Observation Camp was opened on the 24th November 1897. Mr. F. X.
DeSouza, I. C. S., was placed in charge of it, with Assistant
Surgeon Modi under him, to superintend the medical portion of
the work. Captain Benn and Lieutenant Brand also joined the
Camp Staff a little later, in order to superintend operations. The Camp was closed for
detention purposes on the 17th May 1898 ; but it was continued as a Disinfection Camp for
dirty persons arriving from infected localities.
The following classes were exempted from detention :—
(i) Europeans.
(ii) Government and Railway servants, and servants of a Native State travelling
on duty.
(iii) Holders of certificates arriving direct from an authorised Observation Camp.
(iv) Persons holding passes notified by the Plague Commissioner as authorising
exemption.
(v) Persons travelling direct from uninfected localities.
At first only 'suspicious persons' were detained, but as the result was the escape of one or
two cases of plague to Ahmedabad and Wadhwau, the rule was changed : all persons
arriving from an infected place being treated as suspicious and accordingly detained.
Unfortunately this increased severity in the rule synchronised with a rush of panic-
stricken people from Bombay (December ] 897) : and the accommodation of the Camp was
for the time being quite unequal to the demand made upon it. The work of building new
huts was pushed on as rapidly as possible : people being detained during this period for two,
four, or seven days according to circumstances ; the daily population of the Camp standing