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Plague Superintendent and a certificate from him that their houses were in a sanitary condition.
The return of others who had vacated their houses and left Karachi was temporarily prohibited,
except on the condition that they were first segregated for ten days. This was, of course, due
to the spread of the plague up-country.
83. Early in March a serious outbreak occurred in one of the large dhobi's ghats in the
Garden quarter, where some 70 dhobis wash for people who are scattered all over the town.
84. The news reaching me in the evening, I directed the Superintendent of Police to place
a guard over the ghat for the night, and early in the morning went with him and the Plague
Superintendent to the spot, where, after removing five sick to hospital (2 had died at the ghats),
we proceeded to steep the entire quantity of their clothes in the washing tanks, after putting
the proper proportion of disinfectant (Jeyes' fluid) in the water, and sending all the dhobis to
the segregation camp.
85. There they remained ten days—three eases occurring among them there—during
which time all their houses at the ghat were thoroughly disinfected, after which they returned
and have never had any sickness in the ghats since. The clothes were returned to the owners
after 48 hours, wet from the tanks, with instructions to dry them in the sun.
86. This led to my instituting, at the Commissioner's request, a system of licenses, which
enabled us to keep some check over the locality from which clothes were brought, but could not
be really an efficient control without a considerable establishment to supervise it.
87. Owing to the rapid increase of patients at the Plague Hospital (68 were under
treatment during the week ending March the 6th), steps were taken to obtain the new 'Lady
Dufferin Hospital,' which is situated just opposite and was not quite completed, as an additional
wing for the plague patients. It was subsequently used almost entirely for convalescents,
although two upper-rooms were prepared for Europeans and one Parsi, one Eurasian child and
later on a Eurasian sister, who had been nursing in the hospital, were treated there.
88. At this time (the 11th March) I reported that throughout the suburban areas the
sick were being removed to hospital, and throughout Karáchi the healthy inhabitants of infected
and even neighbouring houses, if thought necessary, were being rigorously segregated directly a
case occurred.
89. The class of people in the suburban areas was, it must be remembered as a rule, a
poorer one and easier to deal with, but it was by this time generally understood that all sick, of
whatever class, would be removed, and no real opposition was ever offered.
90. Early in March, too, the question of removing the sick was taken in hand, across the
Lyari, a scheme for a large hut hospital having been first considered ; but this ended in the
Baghdadi Police Lines being converted into a hospital and a few hospital sheds being erected
near the other villages.
91. Directly provision was made, the Sardar commenced to move the sick, but unfortu-
nately at this time the presence of an officer, who had had no experience of the natives, led to
injudicious interference and an idea that more stringent measures were coming, and for a short
time the headmen of the Mekranis and Brahms became obstructive and flatly refused to move
their sick at all.
92. The Sardar, however, soon succeeded in allaying their fears, and at a meeting of the
people held by him on the 18th of March, the majority agreed to his demands, some 40 families
who remained in opposition leaving Karachi for the hills.
93. He then arranged that they should remove their sick themselves, the headmen keeping
the dooly, and that all in hospital should receive subsistence allowance, the sick 4 and their
attendants 3 annas per diem.
94. On the following day the 'Muhanas' agreed to the same arrangement in my presence,
and on the 19th of March no less than 86 plague patients were removed between sunrise and
sunset to the places appointed for them, the removal being carried out through their own
headmen and Mullahs and no official taking part, while 13 more were removed on the 30th idem
at the Khadda, the delay in their case having been due to the necessity of reclaiming the land
on which their sick sheds were built.
95. The above facts are, I think, remarkable and exemplify what can be done in the way
of carrying the people with you, although I fully admit that such methods could not be as
successful in the city, where the people are of mixed races and religions.
96. I have not hitherto alluded to the passing of the Epidemic Diseases Act and the
powers granted under it. These were first communicated to us in the telegraphic sanction of the
9th February, and subsequently in various Government Resolutions, most of which were embodied
in Government Resolution No. 1720—1201-p. of the 29th March.
97. Acting on the strength of one of the above Resolutions, I issued, as District Magis-
trate, on the 6th of March, an order directing the compulsory notification of sickness and death,
due or likely to be due to plague, and at a meeting held previously at the Max Denso Hall
settled with the Plague Superintendents and the Municipal officers the places at which, and the
persons by whom, such notification should be received.