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SECTION 2.
The Poona Plague Committee and a sketch of the measures taken in Poona
before its appointment.
1. Arrangements at Poona Railway Station for the medical inspection of
persons arriving by train from the direction of Bombay were first made by the
City and Suburban Municipalities at the end of September and were subsequently
improved and extended. The result of the inspection was that numerous persons
were from time to time found to be suffering from plague. These were usually
removed to hospital for treatment ; but instances were reported of persons refusing
to go to hospital, or to remain in hospital when they had been taken there, and
there were then no legal powers of compulsion. In the absence of any measures
of the nature of quarantine it was impossible to prevent the importation of plague
by persons in whose systems the disease was only incubating. Isolated cases of
plague, mostly imported, were discovered in the city from time to time, and
probably many more cases were concealed. Shortly after the middle of January
plague was reported to be epidemic in the city, Act III of 1897 had not then
become law; but the Municipality towards the end of January obtained powers
from the Commissioner, C. D., under Section 73 of the District Municipal Act
for entering and disinfecting private premises and removing to hospital persons
found to be suffering from the plague. The Sanitary Commissioner, who visited
Poona at this time and found the arrangements were in a backward condition,
recommended the employment of a European Commissioned Medical Officer in
the city for plague duty s and, accordingly, Surgeon-Captain Lloyd Jones was,
in the beginning of February, removed from famine duty in Ahmednagar,
appointed a Deputy Sanitary Commissioner and ordered to remain in Poona.
He without delay began to insist on the removal to hospital of persons suffering
from plague, but the persons employed in this task were in some cases mobbed
and the sufferers from plague were rescued, the police force available being
insufficient. On the 8th February His Excellency the Governor visited the city,
inspected the infected locality and consulted the Government and Municipal
officers. In a speech made on this occasion he said he was sorry to know that
Poona had contracted, at least in certain portions, the terrible disease. He came
to find out what steps were being taken, and whether they were satisfactory.
He asked the officials to impress upon the people the necessity of removing to
the hospital all those afflicted. He had heard it said that rather than go to
hospital some people would sooner have the plague. They should be told to go
to hospital and to make known their condition, if affected, at once to those who
could help them. He asked those present to give every assistance to the execu-
tive by inducing people to whitewash their houses thoroughly so as to be
beforehand with the executive. He remarked that they could do much by
persuasion ; but the measures would have to be carried out, and he much preferred
they should do it voluntarily, instead of the Government being obliged to use the
powers they possessed, so as to save not only this city, but to stop the spread of
the disease to the surrounding towns and villages. The authorities were deter-
mined to do all in their power to save the city of Poona and to stop this plague.
He wished to impress upon them to do all in their power to help in this good
work.
2. The result of His Excellency the Governor's visit to Poona was that
Mr. W. C. Rand, I. C. S., was on the 10th February directed to proceed to Poona
to take administrative charge of the plague measures and Surgeon-Major J. P.
Barry, I. M. S., was, on the 17th idem, transferred to Poona for plague duty.
Before the arrival of the latter, another Medical officer, Surgeon-Captain Beveridge,
A. M. S., who had acquired experience of plague measures in Hongkong and had
just arrived from England, was "sent to Poona to help Mr. Band. On the 25th
February, Dr. Beveridge submitted through Mr. Rand an important report in
which he proposed to employ organized search parties and parties of fumigators
and limewashers, to adopt special measures for segregation, and to employ for
plague duty volunteers from the British regiments in Poona.
3. Mr. Rand, in forwarding the report of Surgeon-Captain Beveridge on
February 27th, supported his proposals in the following letter :
"It will be seen that Surgeon-Captain Beveridge holds that if the plague is to be
stamped out of Poona before the monsoon, drastic and thorough measures are required. In
considering his proposals it has to be remembered that hitherto moderate measures have
entirely failed to root out the epidemic from any of the towns in India in which it has taken
hold, while the same disease has succumbed to strong measures in Hongkong. On the
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