3
decreed by Providence and that the hour of each man's death was unalter-
ably determined." These are wise words and it is a subject of pride to me
as Acting Commissioner of the Division to know that so many of our men
realized their truth. Mr. Seddon himself at Rander, Mr. Hudson in Sálsette
and Surgeon-Captain and Mrs. Dyson at Bulsár are notable instances.
I personally know that in February in Bulsár everything done by Govern-
ment was viewed by the Musalmáns with a fear and abhorrence which
might through sheer panic have led to rioting, but as I am informed, in
May when the leaders flocked to the station to wish good-bye to Mrs. Dyson
and express their gratitude, the scene was most affecting.
7. Following out these principles :—
(1) When concealment of plague is suspected, house to house visita-
tion becomes a duty, with careful precautions.
(2) Free liberty should be given to each community within reason-
able limits to establish and manage their own hospitals, provided only the
great end of segregation is attained. As a fact, free access may be allowed
to relations, for few will come—often not enough to tend the sick—and
in any case prohibition of any kind does far more harm than good by
arousing suspicion.
(3) Except perhaps when dealing with single houses, healthy inmates
of suspected houses should not be forced to move, for that is undertaking a
task which is sure to create much irritation and cannot be successful at the
best, for most of the ejected people only go to the houses of friends in other
quarters, and so, if tainted, only hasten the spread of infection. They
should, however, be encouraged to go out and build huts for themselves, the
very poor being assisted to do so. If Surgeon-Captain Dyson is right, the
evacuation of even houses in which cases have occurred is of minor conse-
quence, provided they and all clothes and bedding are well washed with a
solution of corrosive sublimate or similar disinfectant.
(4) There is a diversity of practice about the destruction of houses.
My own opinion is that a house, even if " kutcha," should never be burnt
or otherwise destroyed, save in very exceptional cases. It raises a prejudice
against the plague work and furnishes a starting point for the tales of the
sedition monger. Nor is the step necessary if (according to Dr. Dyson)
a solution of corrosive sublimate is freely used or (according to Mr. Gilbert)
the place is unroofed and exposed for some time to the sun.
(5) Among the villages, there should be no attempt against the wish
of the people to establish central hospital camps. Every village should be
allowed to make its own segregation arrangements, provided they are
effective. This they will gladly do, as a rule, while any order to carry the
sick to a strange place will not be carried out and will simply lead to con-
cealment.
(6) A vigorous use of Rule 29 by the Pátels as " plague authorities "
is an invaluable means of keeping out the plague. It is to my mind of special
interest as a revival of the old spirit of self-help which is far more robust
and genuine than the artificial modern expedient of " self-government."
To it Mr. Logan attributes (paragraph 69) the safety of the inland villages
of his district and, undoubtedly, it was the chief factor in saving the area
between the Vaitarna river and the Pár river, and in checking the spread
inside the Bulsár Táluka. The example of Christian Kurla (Mr. Logan s
paragraph 18) and the hamlets of Agási (paragraph 23) are also most
instructive. At first the people were afraid of getting themselves into
trouble under the law, but on being assured as to this, and encouraged to
act, they set themselves to fight their own battle with a will. In Párdi
town they went so far as to withstand the entry of the camp of the Deputy
Collector in charge of the táluka, coming as it did from an infected part.
In many villages they called in a " Báwa " and made him draw with reli-
gious ceremonies a line around the inhabited site which it was forbidden to
cross under penalty of excommunication. Unfortunately, as mentioned by
Surgeon-Captain Dyson,· they were not so strict in preventing some of