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CHAPTER XII.
Part I.—Plague Commissions.
It has become the custom of all civilized nations to appoint, for the purpose of enquiring
into all questions of the first importance or of universal interest, at such times as they assume
peculiar prominence, a body of experts. Such a body of experts is termed a Commission,
which may be defined as " a company of persons joined together in the exercise of some public
duty or some public trust."
One of the most notable instances of such a Commission—one indeed not nationally,
but internationally, representative—was the great Peace Conference which lately sat at the
Hague. The widespread ignorance concerning, and the terrible deadliness of, Plague ; its long
absence in epidemic form from Europe or its neighbourhood ; the great progress made in
every department of Medical science, since Medical science last had an opportunity of investi-
gating it ; the possibility of a wide spread of the disease from a central sea-port like Bombay,
and the consequent necessity for all Governments to be intimate as well with its nature as
with the measures necessary to prevent an outbreak, rendered the opportunity afforded by the
present visitation, one not lightly to be neglected.
Accordingly, the Governments of Egypt, Austria, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Ceylon
are seen sending formal Commissions and experts to Bombay to study the plague, while
eminent savants from all parts of Europe and India visited Bombay and the surrounding
country. The Government of Bombay itself appointed one Commission Sir Andrew Wingate,
Surgeon-General Cleghorn, and Col. Hay) to tour throughout the plague-affected districts,
and advise on the measures to be adopted, and a second (the Plague Research Committee,
see Chapters II. and III.) for the scientific investigation of the disease.
The theories and conclusions formed from the Hongkong epidemic were here put to a
further test and developed ; while the varying conditions of life, of climate, of atmosphere,
of hilly country and the plains and the coast of crowded cities, and thin straggling
villages, brought to light many an interesting fact about a disease full of riddles and sur-
prises. The medical faculty, with a regard for human life, peculiarly its own, undaunted by
many a failure, never relaxed its efforts, now trying new remedies, now endeavouring to
invent a curative serum. The happy idea of prophylactic inoculation, first conceived by
Mr, Haffkiue, also deserves mention.
But much as Joint Foreign Commissions and individual scientists did—and they did
much, although the results of their labours cannot be discussed here—there remained
a great deal more to be done, as well in the interests of science as for the purposes of admin-
'istratiou. A great many interesting facts had been collected. A few valuable deductions
had been made. But there were still, in the words of the Government of India, "many
valuable items of information to be ascertained from officers who have been employed on
plague operations that have not been recorded in official reports ; and there are also
many circumstances connected with the outbreaks at different places which require to be
locally examined by persons who can collate the facts and form conclusions which will be
accepted by public as well as scientific opinion in respect of them." Accordingly, the
Government of India appointed the Indian Plague Commission consisting of—
Professor T. R. Fraser, M.D., LL.D., F. R. S., Professor of Materia Medica in the