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laborious one and obviously fraught with danger to the coolies. Limewashing was substituted,
the wash generally containing an admixture of perchloride of mercury. The floor was dug up to
a depth of two or three inches, the loose earth being carted away until its removal was discon-
tinued by expert advice and sprinkling with chloride of lime substituted. If considered necessary
the house was ventilated by making apertures in the roof or by widening the windows. Lastly,
the conventional plague mark was conspicuously painted in red outside, the date of death or of the
removal of the case being recorded below. A house thus dealt with remained vacant for at least
10 days, but generally was not re-occupied until the cessation of the plague. No cases of plague
occurred in houses which had been disinfected in the manner above described. It is important to
note that a house in which dead rats were discovered was treated in every respect as though a
case of plague had occurred in it.
Systematic cleaning prior to re-
occupation.
42. When the systematic cleaning of all uninfected houses
prior to re-occupation was undertaken, the procedure was as
follows :
The house was emptied of all furniture, which thus remained exposed to light and air during
operations ; only absolute rubbish was destroyed ; the walls and ceiling were squirted with the
solution of perchloride of mercury, the walls were lime-washed all over, and, finally, the floor was
sprinkled with chloride of lime. The house was then passed as cleaned. In the majority of
cases, only the spraying with perchloride of mercury and the laying down of chloride of lime
were performed by Municipal agency, the rest of the work being done by the house-owners
themselves. Where houses had been evacuated and their owners had failed to comply with the
orders contained in the notices which were affixed to all empty houses, the entire process was
necessarily performed by Municipal agency the owners being liable for the cost.
Number of houses infected.
43. Accurate statistics as to the number of houses infected either by plague cases or by
rats are not available. The returns for some divisions in which
plague was prevalent show extraordinarily low figures, from which
it must be inferred that there was considerable misconception as to the information required
under the somewhat ambiguous heading ' Houses infected,' The statistics obtainable show
that 511 houses were compulsorily evacuated, that 4,301 houses were disinfected and cleaned
by Municipal agency, and 4,221 by private agency.
Opening of Plague Hospitals.
The General Plague Hospital.
44. The next subject calling for special notice is that of the Plague Hospitals. When
the epidemic first made its appearance, the sick were removed to
huts situated on the southern side of the city, some fifteen cases
being treated in this manner. The process was, however, attended
with great difficulty and inconvenience, owing to the distance from the city, and as the
attendance on the sick was insufficient and their medical treatment and comfort was inadequately
provided for, it was determined to open a hospital in a more central position and equipped in a
more adequate manner. The Government High School buildings were selected for the purpose,
and the General Plague Hospital was opened on the 24th March under the supervision of the
Civil Surgeon, Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson. The group of buildings was well
adapted for the purposes of a hospital, consisting as they did of a spacious central hall, capable
of containing 50 beds, and two smaller detached buildings on either side. The latter were
composed of five rooms of different sizes and were each capable of accommodating SO patients.
The one to the south was set apart for females; that to the north for convalescents, the large
central hall being used as the male ward.
On the opposite side of the road; the nurses were comfortably lodged, and the High School
out-houses provided ample room for kitchens, store rooms, &c., and for the accommodation of
ward-boys and sweepers. The play-ground was utilized for the erection of huts for patients
under observation. The Hospital Assistants were also located there in a detached row of houses.
The establishment consisted of —
4 Nurses,
4 Hospital Assistants.
14 Ward-boys.
8 Sweepers.
4 Dais.
11 Pall-bearers (Muhammadans and Hindus).
Three nurses from Calcutta, viz., Mrs. Murphy, Miss Durham, and Miss Browning;
assisted by Mrs. Hart, from Karachi, while the epidemic was at its height, worked enthusias-
tically, and it was remarkable how soon the menial attendants gained confidence from their
example and waited upon the patients carefully and attentively. All mentals were supplied with
a change of clothing while off duty, and it is satisfactory to note that none of the attendants was
attacked. The hospital was closed on the 15th June. The number of patients treated was
209, of whom 53 were discharged cured, giving a percentage of 25-31. Of this number, how-
ever, 53 died within a few hours of admission, and cannot be said to have come under treatment
at all. The percentage of cures was, therefore, properly speaking. 33-'3.
The Hindu Panchayati Hospital.
45. At the time the General Hospital was opened, the- Hindu community raised a fund
lor the purpose of establishing and equipping a Plague Hospital
solely for their co-religionists. The action taken was mainly under
the direction of Mr. Dayaram Gidumal, Sessions Judge at Shikárpur, who, in addition to