6
policy continued led the people, who had unanimously rejected both treatment
and segregation, to accept both.
The Acting Commissioner returned to his camp, confident in leaving the
Collector at the head of affairs, and hopeful that, now a breathing space had
been obtained to exhibit the real sympathy felt by Government towards the
suffering, the measures taken at Karachi would not be the signal for terror
and panic, should plague spread in Sind, but would make it practicable to adopt
greater stringency in other places.
The Collector had one or two meetings with the Muharnmadans, and pro-
mised them a Lady Doctor and Muhammadan Doctors. Miss Duggan, a fully
qualified Doctor, was appointed by the Municipality on the 8th January for
pardah ladies. The Muhammadans generally acquiesced in the measures
sanctioned, but when the disease crossed the Lyari into their quarter, as it did
on January 10th, opposition was shown on the 18th, when, the Health Officer
wished to disinfect a house and to burn down a hut. The Collector went in
person, acted with firmness and tact, sentenced the chief offenders, and enforced
compliance. This was the only instance in Sind of obstinate resistance to
authority, and it proceeded from the fisher class, who on previous occasions of
epidemics had been difficult to manage.
From the 1st January, the disease suddenly increased. On the 1st, the
number of cases rose to 10, on the 7th to 20, and on the 14th to 34. On the
recommendation of the Collector, the District Superintendent of Police abandoned
Ms tour and devoted himself to organizing the Police arrangements. The infect-
ed quarter was being deserted. Most fled by rail and ship ; many to houses
of friends, or to houses rented in other parts of Karachi. To intercept the local
migration, the Collector, with the aid of the General Officer Commanding,
established a Police and Military cordon between the City on one side and the
Sadar Bazaar and the Cantonments on the other. This cordon was valuable in
checking the general influx that would have taken place. The formation of
Health Camps was the subject of much demi-official correspondence. Mr.
Strachan, the Engineer and Secretary, lent himself with his usual energy and
capacity to the erection of huts on a site across the Lyari, but remote from the
Muhammadan settlements, while Mr. Tahilram, the President, and the Collector
were persistent in their efforts to persuade the Nasarpuris, a sect of well-to-do
Hindus, occupying good houses in the Old Town, to move into the Camp. For
these people to live in mat huts was a degradation from which they shrank.
Eventually, they agreed to move, but only on their own conditions. These were
wisely agreed to. To get the Old Town Quarter completely evacuated and set
an example that would silence prejudice were the objects in view. At this stage,
compulsion would have scattered the population like sheep, and distrust of the
authorities would have been spread through the land.
The increasing daily death-rate caused the Acting Commissioner to hurry
through some necessary business, and he relinquished the rest of his tour on the
23rd January. He arrived in Karachi to find the first Health Camp just
occupied by some 2,000 Nasarpuris. The camp did Mr. Strachan very great
credit. It was well laid out, with water-pipes and bathing platforms ; in fact,
the Municipality had spared no expense to make the camp attractive and
convince the people that the desire was to save, not to kill. As an instance of
the feeling at the time, a few days later, a party would not enter ready-
made huts, saying the huts might be poisoned, but they accepted new mate-
rials and made their own huts. It was not then known that plague affects
the heart, and the sudden deaths of people, not apparently very severely ill,
gave ignorant imagination its opportunity. On the 26th January. Surgeon-
General Cleghorn, C. S. I., the Sanitary Commissioner with the Government
of India, arrived to examine the measures taken. He was unfortunately
obliged to leave next evening, re-called to attend the Venice Convention;
but his visit was most beneficial in encouraging the efforts that were being
made to get people out of infected houses, the following suggestions were
made by Dr. Cleghorn :-
(a) That Dr. Arnim should be placed in charge of the different camps,
in which the population would require careful supervision.