SATAKA DISTRICT.]
255
wide in extent, was limited in virulence. This was doubtless, to some extent, due to the
increasing adoption of evacuation, which was carried out completely in 127 villages.
Every effort was made in the Sátára District to popularise inoculation ; but with little
success. In Sátára Town and Camp 1,173, and in the rest of the District only 512,
inoculations were performed. Of these 1,685 inoculated people, only three were attacked
by plague.
There were several instances of plague occurring on re-occupation, even after the
houses re-occupied had been disinfected ; these instances were houses which had not
remained vacant for any considerable time. Lieutenant N. E. Anderson, I. S. C., quotes
Kamatipura and a Government building adjoining the jail in Sátára Town as examples.
Ventilation and admission of light and air by partial unroofing was freely resorted to : except
in the case of fiat roofed houses, in which any action short of complete unroofing was
ineffective, and did much damage.
In this connection, the following observations by Mr. C. G. Dodgson, the Collector,
are both valuable and interesting :—
"The plan which I have followed is to permit re-occupation 2 months after the last case
of plague and between o or 4 months after evacuation. The method employed is to allow the
houses to be first repaired (i. e., roofs mended) and thoroughly cleaned. One person is then
allowed to sleep in each house. If after 10 clays none of the people sleeping in the village are
found to be ill entire re-occupation is permitted. The results have been satisfactory, as infec-
tion has not broken out again in a single instance. As far as my experience goes, it makes no
difference whether the houses have been disinfected with chemical disinfectants or not, as in no
house has plague broken out again, provided that the house had been empty for at least o
months. Where houses were chemically disinfected and re-occupied after a lapse of, say, a
fortnight, plague has broken out on more than one occasion. I am inclined to think that
even it' houses had not been ventilated at all but had merely been left vacant for, say, four
months, that the germ would be found to have become innocuous. In many cases the lower
stories of upper storied houses have not been capable of ventilation and still re-occupation has
done no harm. The rule which I have stated above has not always been rigorously followed,
some villages having been re-occupied after a lapso of not moro than two months. "
The following statement shows the total numbers of plague cases and deaths throughout
the District during the whole of the third epidemic :—
Month.
July
1898
August „
September ,,
October „
November „
December ,,
January 1899
February „
March ,,
April „
May „
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Total
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Cases.
248
432
1,229
2,265
2,219
1,362
970
705
583
163
221
10,397
Deaths.
220
305
872
1,892
1,847
1,069
787
628
497
150
175
8,442
The strictest precautionary measures were adopted for the protection of the important
hill-stations of Mahábaleshvar and Pánchgani, and it is a
Mahábaleshvar and Párichgani. matter for congratulation that throughout the long period
during which plague has lasted in the District, these stations have been kept quite free.