2
Opening of a Special
Plague Hospital.
the city walls, and placed in immediate charge of a pensioned Hospital Assistant
under the direction of the Civil Surgeon. The hos-
pital building was a permanent double-storied struc-
ture standing in a large compound, which at once
afforded comparative isolation and also permitted a rapid increase at any time
in the available accommodation by the erection of temporary buildings within
the enclosure. The original building could hold some 12 or 15 patients. A
few out-houses at the back of the premises were adapted to afford accommoda-
tion to the families of patients when the detention of the sufferer's relatives
under medical observation seemed necessary. This hospital was soon after-
wards supplemented by a second, a temporary struc-
ture of bamboo and matting, erected near the Rail-
way Station. This shed, 40' by 10', was calculated
to accommodate six patients.
Erection of a second
Plague Hospital.
Rules framed for enforcing
Segregation of Patients, &c.
5. The Municipality then adopted the special rules, copy of which is given
in Appendix II, empowering their staff to take certain
extraordinary measures of an obvious necessity. The
adoption of these rules was hastened by the detection
of the first imported plague case about the third week in December.
Increase in Municipal Sani-
tary and Conservancy Staff.
6. Wisely recognizing the importance of greater cleanliness in the city
the Municipality increased its sanitary establishment
by doubling the staff of inspectors and retaining the
services of extra sweepers and scavengers. On the
inspector fell the duty of visiting one of the 12 wards (there were 12 inspectors)
of the city daily. Suspicious mortality among the rats was ordered to be re-
ported immediately ; and finally a reward of 8 annas was publicly promised to
any person bringing a plague case to the notice of the Municipal Executive. It
is doubtful whether this handsome reward would have compensated a possible
informant for the odium which his action in bringing a case to notice must
have given rise to in the breasts of the patient's relatives. Possibly nob, as
the reward was not applied for.
Establishment of Registra-
tion posts by District Magis-
trate.
7. By the end of January the plague had obtained such formidable dimen-
sions in Bombay and Poona that Government directed
by telegram that no efforts should be spared to check
the spread of infection into districts free from the
disease. Action was at once taken to supplement the
precautionary measures above described by arranging for the registration of all
arrivals at Ahmednagar from infected areas. Por this purpose two clerks were
posted at the Railway Station, and posts were established on the roads from
Bombay and Poona, at a distance of a few miles from Nagar, so that travellers
by the roads might be also brought under observation. The names of persons
Inspection of arrivals by
Road and Rail after Registra-
tion.
registered at the station and road-side posts were duly
communicated to the Nagar Municipality, the Canton-
ment authorities and the Municipality of Bhingár,
with a request that arrivals from infected places might
be kept under observation for eight days. It was anticipated that the staff en-
trusted with the observation of arrivals, viz., Municipal and Cantonment subordi-
nates, might not be sufficiently careful in their enquiries to ensure that all plague
cases should be detected. The erection of a quarantine camp at the station was
therefore taken in hand at the same time as the registration system was intro-
Preparation for Quarantine
Measures.
duced, in order that, on its completion, quarantine
might be enforced either at once or whenever it ap-
peared to be desirable. Simultaneously with these
measures steps were taken to improve the sanitary condition of Nagar City
Enforcement of Cleansing
Measures in Nagar, Bhingár
and Cantonments.
Bhingár and Cantonments, The improvement con-
sisted in whitewashing and ventilating the houses,
adding to the staff and equipment for the removal
of night-soil, and cleansing the surface drains.
Sudden increase in im-
ported cases of Plague.
8. During the first week in March, 4 cases of plague. all imported, occurred
in Ahmednagar and Bhingár. One "of the Bhingár
patients, a Shimpi from Poona, had developed the
symptoms after eight days' residence within Muni-