here confronted with the lirst practical difficulty of the proposal, for it is unlikely that, with the epidemic still hanging like a sword over the country, medical officers will have the opportunity to attend what must be We
derived.
are
from its nature a purely academic discussion. We do not use this last phrase in any invidious sense, but our recent
experience
would
of plague
in the direction
seem to
indicate that repression police is of as much, if not more, importance in dealing with an ignorant popu-
an
efficient
whole army of doctors, whether the latter preach salvation by inoculation or by sanitation, or even by the simple gospel of cleanlilace than
a
the fact
proved that 110 measure repression of plague has the acceptable to the people, and that any set of recommendations coming
from
body
Events have
ness.
directed to the merit of proving a
of medical
men
would
prove, in
India at any rate, to be lead the promoters of the
impracticable should Congress to confine their discussions entirely to the professional side of the subject, as distinguished from the public
and administrative aspect. We are aware tliat this limitation would rob the Congress proceedof much of their interest: but we would ings O of our contention, the woeful are month by month experiences accumulated by Local Governments in their dealings with the plague. Unless circumstances
advance,
in
support
that
A PLAGUE CONGRESS.
Bombay Medical and Ph}7sical Society, at recent meeting, discussed a proposal, originatThe
a
ing at
Blaney, to hold a congress early part of the coining cold
with Dr. Thos.
Bombay
in the
weather for the full consideration of all matters connected with plague. We have every sympathy with the proposal and congratulate the
Society on their enterprise; in the records of the Society are many old papers of the highest interest bearing on the plague epidemics in India in the early years of the century, and it is, therefore,
most
fitting
that those records should
now
include an accurate exposition of modern knowledge of the disease, and the experiences of those whose task it has been to deal with it in the last two years. It is
desirable,
render such
at the
outset, that in order
to
of any permanent value, the field of discussion should be made as wide as possible, both in the number of those who attend the meeting, and in the sources from which the matter for consideration is to be an
undertaking
alter for the better, we think the Society will be better advised to forego their idea of asking for the assistance of Government in the holding of the
Congress.
there
We venture to suggest that 011 administrative field for a purely
is, without touching problems, a sufficiently wide professional discussion ; what for instance, could be found
better
opportunity,
for the collection and exhibition of the results of Professor Haffkine's preventive inoculations ? In view of the
importance of this subject to the future plague in India, we can imagine the Government of India welcoming any effort which should place inoculation on a firmer and more certain ground as a real and harmless preventive, and
extreme
of
this could well be done nouncement from
a
authoritative prorepresentative meeting of
by
an
the profession in the country, supported, as it doubtless would be, by a mass of statistics and observations from those best qualified to produce them. The interest that has attached to the
preliminary a
proof
note
by Surgeon-General Harvey is our opinion in this regard.
of the truth of
INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
228
The
bacteriology
of the disease is still in its are they who pretend to a
and few
first lustrum, competent and sufficing knowledge scantiness of distinct a
our
argument,
discussion
on a
knowledge among
subject
of it; the this head is a for postponing
on
others, so
imperfectly
worked
out.
Lastly,
the clinical features of
plague are in classification; description little is yet published on the typical symptoms, and next to nothing of authority on the disease sad need of full
and
it appears at the commencement and the decline of epidemics; the undoubted nervous sequelae are as yet merely enumerated, and observations are wanted on the period of immu-
as
nity, if any, conferred by previous attacks. The circumstances of plague incidence on a population have as yet only formed matters for official important work remains to be done, of observations to be collected and reduced to an orderly whole on the subject of the transmission of the disease. reports,
and
and
a mass
We believe that, on these lines, the Bombay Society has a useful field of work ; whether the time has yet come for summing up our experience
of
will be determined
plague
of the next few harm in
be
no
on
the lines
by the events months, but, meantime, there can
collecting
we
our
experience
to date
have ventured to indicate.
[.Tone
1898.
derived.
are
from its nature a purely academic discussion. We do not use this last phrase in any invidious sense, but our recent
experience
would
of plague
in the direction
seem to
indicate that repression police is of as much, if not more, importance in dealing with an ignorant popu-
an
efficient
whole army of doctors, whether the latter preach salvation by inoculation or by sanitation, or even by the simple gospel of cleanlilace than
a
the fact
proved that 110 measure repression of plague has the acceptable to the people, and that any set of recommendations coming
from
body
Events have
ness.
directed to the merit of proving a
of medical
men
would
prove, in
India at any rate, to be lead the promoters of the
impracticable should Congress to confine their discussions entirely to the professional side of the subject, as distinguished from the public
and administrative aspect. We are aware tliat this limitation would rob the Congress proceedof much of their interest: but we would ings O of our contention, the woeful are month by month experiences accumulated by Local Governments in their dealings with the plague. Unless circumstances
advance,
in
support
that
A PLAGUE CONGRESS.
Bombay Medical and Ph}7sical Society, at recent meeting, discussed a proposal, originatThe
a
ing at
Blaney, to hold a congress early part of the coining cold
with Dr. Thos.
Bombay
in the
weather for the full consideration of all matters connected with plague. We have every sympathy with the proposal and congratulate the
Society on their enterprise; in the records of the Society are many old papers of the highest interest bearing on the plague epidemics in India in the early years of the century, and it is, therefore,
most
fitting
that those records should
now
include an accurate exposition of modern knowledge of the disease, and the experiences of those whose task it has been to deal with it in the last two years. It is
desirable,
render such
at the
outset, that in order
to
of any permanent value, the field of discussion should be made as wide as possible, both in the number of those who attend the meeting, and in the sources from which the matter for consideration is to be an
undertaking
alter for the better, we think the Society will be better advised to forego their idea of asking for the assistance of Government in the holding of the
Congress.
there
We venture to suggest that 011 administrative field for a purely
is, without touching problems, a sufficiently wide professional discussion ; what for instance, could be found
better
opportunity,
for the collection and exhibition of the results of Professor Haffkine's preventive inoculations ? In view of the
importance of this subject to the future plague in India, we can imagine the Government of India welcoming any effort which should place inoculation on a firmer and more certain ground as a real and harmless preventive, and
extreme
of
this could well be done nouncement from
a
authoritative prorepresentative meeting of
by
an
the profession in the country, supported, as it doubtless would be, by a mass of statistics and observations from those best qualified to produce them. The interest that has attached to the
preliminary a
proof
note
by Surgeon-General Harvey is our opinion in this regard.
of the truth of
INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
228
The
bacteriology
of the disease is still in its are they who pretend to a
and few
first lustrum, competent and sufficing knowledge scantiness of distinct a
our
argument,
discussion
on a
knowledge among
subject
of it; the this head is a for postponing
on
others, so
imperfectly
worked
out.
Lastly,
the clinical features of
plague are in classification; description little is yet published on the typical symptoms, and next to nothing of authority on the disease sad need of full
and
it appears at the commencement and the decline of epidemics; the undoubted nervous sequelae are as yet merely enumerated, and observations are wanted on the period of immu-
as
nity, if any, conferred by previous attacks. The circumstances of plague incidence on a population have as yet only formed matters for official important work remains to be done, of observations to be collected and reduced to an orderly whole on the subject of the transmission of the disease. reports,
and
and
a mass
We believe that, on these lines, the Bombay Society has a useful field of work ; whether the time has yet come for summing up our experience
of
will be determined
plague
of the next few harm in
be
no
on
the lines
by the events months, but, meantime, there can
collecting
we
our
experience
to date
have ventured to indicate.
[.Tone
1898.
