90
other hand, it must not be forgotten that the strict enforcement of the measures he advocates
will be intensely unpopular, at any rate for the present, and perhaps for a long time to come,
among all sections of the native community, and will not necessarily be successful. The
question is a momentous one owing to the extent to which the disease has already spread in
the city and the rate at which it is increasing. An idea of how the disease has spread will
be given by the following table of Poona City mortality ;
Month.
November
December
January
February up to 26th
Total number of
registered deaths
from all causes.
170
270
497
882
Average for last
five years.
244
261
261
225
Difference.
-74
9
236
657
Apart from the plague the season has not been an unhealthy one, and the- figures in
column 4 for December, January and February may probably be taken to represent approx-
imately the plague mortality. The reported plague deaths are much fewer, the dread of
official interference causing most people to return plague deaths as due to other causes.
As far as I am aware there is nothing in the history of former epidemics to lead us to
suppose that measures of moderate stringency will have the effect of eradicating the plague
or even of diminishing the length of its stay in an epidemic form, and it appears to me that
the only logical alternatives are either to take the most drastic measures with a single eye
to the removal of the epidemic, or else to refrain from compulsory processes. I am of opinion
that the former alternative should be adopted, as with proper arrangements it seems to offer
a fair likelihood of success.
That there may be a chance of clearing the city of plague within a short period, I think
that the officer in charge of the operations will require more extensive powers than I could
exercise under the rules published with Government Resolution No. 941 —398-p. of the 20th
instant, General Department. Those rules seem indeed hardly suited to the circumstances
of a large town on which plague has gained a firm hold, and in which every effort is made
to keep the authorities in the dark as to the occurrence of cases.
I therefore venture to submit a draft of rules under Act III of 1897, which appear to
rae to be necessary for the successful carrying out of the operations.
I agree with Surgeon-Captain Beveridge in thinking that for the discovery of plague
cases and the disinfection of infected houses we should chiefly rely on the work of squads
each containing a European, and organised in general accordance with his suggestions Nos. 1
and 2. Houses should be systematically searched for plague cases throughout the city, and
all houses in which deaths had recently occurred and the cause of death was either plague
or was not satisfactorily shown to be something else, should be dealt with as plague-stricken.
It would not be possible to find a medical officer to accompany each squad, but his presence
with each squad is not essential.
In order that effective squads may be organised, I request that 100 British non-com-
missioned officers and men may be placed at my disposal. As many as possible of these
should be drawn from the Royal Engineers, and the rest might be taken from any branch
of the service. They would work immediately under the Medical officers who have been
appointed as my colleagues. The question of the pay they should receive while on plague
duty is one for Government to settle. The Poona District Superin tendent of Police has only
detailed 12 men for plague duty, and is, I believe, unable to provide a considerably larger
number at an early date. Owing to the attitude of the population towards segregation it
will, however, be necessary to support the men engaged on plague duty with sufficient
armed men to make effective opposition to them an impossibility. In the absence of police-
men it will be necessary to employ military aid for this purpose. The following is an
estimate of the number of troops that would be required ou quasi-police duties :—200 men
to be massed at some central point in the city, and to be prepared to move to any quarter
where a riot might arise ; 200 men to accompany the searching and disinfecting squads ;
50 men to take charge of the inmates of vacated houses, and to escort them to the segrega-
tion camps ; 25 men to guard the hospitals; 50 men to guard the property in the vacated
houses which are left open for purposes of ventilation. In addition, a few cavalry patrols
would probably be useful. The estimate is no doubt a rough one, and it may be that less
than 575 men would be required for duty daily, especially after the inhabitants of Poona
had become accustomed to the work of the squads. I think, however, that it would be
advisable in the first instance to employ enough troops to make the necessity of obedience
to the authorities self-evident.
As the cash balance of the Poona Municipality is very low, and as it is absolutely
necessary that funds should be available if effective operations against the plague are to be
carried on, I beg that Rs. 25,000 may be ordered to be advanced to the Municipality at
once on the understanding that the terms of repayment will be settled hereafter.
If it is decided to employ the military in connection with plague operations, I would
suggest that Surgeon-Major Barry and Surgeon-Captains Lloyd Jones and Beveridge may
be gazetted as Magistrates, and that they as well as myself may be empowered to call for the
services of any of the troops employed on plague duty to quell a riot."