PΟΟΝA DISTRICT.]
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responsibility and without informing the Plague Committee) circulated a leaflet in Marathi
quoting from a report of Dr. Leuman's on inoculution in Dhárwár and Hubli, and drawing
attention to the very great protection which it afforded against plague. This, combined
with the previous notice, caused quite a panic amongst the banias in the bazár, who were
convinced that inoculation was to be made compulsory, and many at once made arrange-
ments to leave Poona and return to their homes. This was brought to my notice, and I
therefore proceeded to the bazárs, collected the banias round me and assured them that under
no circumstances would any person be forced to submit to be inoculated. This re-assured
them, and I heard nothing more of any uneasy feeling in this respect.
"Up to the 1st of June only seven persons were inoculated, but since then plague has
increased and people have come forward more readily, over 50 having been inoculated
already in this mouth (June). It is now proposed to start inoculation at the Charitable
Dispensary and endeavour to induce the poorer classes to protect themselves in this manner.
"Subsequently much of the antipathy to inoculation of the part of the Cantonment
people vanished, as over 20,000 voluntary inoculations were carried out within four months.
"Segregation. —The system in force in the Cantonment, is, to send all contacts (persors
from infected houses) to a Segregation Camp for 10 days ; on arrival at the Camp their cloth-
Eng, &c., is disinfected and they are detained there for 48 hours; at the end of this time
they are permitted to go about their business in the daytime, but return to the Camp to
sleep until the 10 days are completed. When the accommodation in the Segregation Camp
permits, the people on either side of infected houses are also segregated. This was in variably
done at the commencement of the epidemic, but the Camp is now too crowded to allow of
this. More huts are now being built and the segregation of the persons from neighbouring
houses will again be resorted to as soon as there is accommodation in the Camp for them.
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"Re-occupation.—Disinfected houses were allowed to be re-occupied after they had Leen
kept vacant for a period of 10 days.
"In three instances plague appeared in houses which had previously been disinfected.
For instance, on the 6th of May, No. 142 Main Street was disinfected as a precautionary
measure, there having been a case of plague in the next house. On the 5th of June, almost
exactly a month after, the man living in No. 142 Main Street was attacked with plague
and died.
"The same thing happened at No. 712 Kotwal Moholla, which was disinfected as a
precautionary measure on the 8th May, and where a girl was attacked and died of plague on
the 6th June. At No. 658 Sachapir Street, a badly infected locality, and inhabited by some
11 families, the whole place, after most careful disinfection 011 the 16th May, was kept vacant
for some 12 or 14 days, after which one or two families moved back into their rooms, the other
houses still remaining vacant. On the 11th of June a fresh case of plague occurred in one of
these houses, the boy dying."
The attitude of the people during this period appears to have been eminently satisfactory.
"Altitude of the people.—The people have been most patient, and submit in the most
ready and admirable manner to the restrictions which it is found necessary to impose on
them. These aro made as slightly harassing as possible, but still they are a great infliction,
and the way the people submit to them without complaint is most praiseworthy."
Poona District.
Third Epidemic (July 1898— November 1899).—Throughout April, May and Jane 1898
there was almost total subsidence of plague in the Poona
District and City, although no week passed without dropping
cases occurring in both. From the middle of July the district figures steadily rose and
culminated in a moderate epidemic which lasted throughout September, October and Novem-
ber 1898.
The highest weekly figures were 180 cases—115 deaths (week ending 14th
October 1898) and 177 cases— 131 deaths (week ending 28th October 1898).
On the measures taken to prevent this third outbreak and to control it when it occurred,
Mr. W. P. Shephard, I. C. S., the Collector, reports as follows: —
"(1) To prevent the introduction of plague, the village officers were ordered to watch
carefully all arrivals from infected areas and to keep them outside their village for a. period
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