which
ment
seems to
in
application
in
dealing
be of all others the easiest promising of success
and the most
with
tion of
plague
in India.
The segrega-
epidemic disease iu an Indian city is, under the existing law, and in the present state of the people's minds, an impossible task. Every move calculated to assist the early detection and isolation of disease treads upon the religious the social habits of this or that comand is at once met either by respectful
customs
or
munity,
deputations
the influential of the threatened community or by a stubborn and open resistance from the lower
Indian Htcdiqal (Sazqtte,
classes.
APRIL, 1898. SEGREGATION VERSUS INOCULATION". Under the above in the were
heading
a
to the Local Government from
strife has arisen
Bombay dailies that, if the issue at stake not so grave, would almost provoke a smile.
There is
Disease,
on
its appearance, is
carefully
concealed,and may, as it actually did in Bombay, gain a firm footing before detection, thus rendering the work of the sanitary officers to entirely surround and isolate the disease too late, and causing among the ignorant in consequence a firm belief that all sanitary measures are undertaken with the express object of harassing them the enjoyment of their religion and their
in
not the slightest scientific, or common ground for arraying the two measures the homes. This is to our minds the grave danger one against the other; the first represents the now threatening the large cities of this country, present state of scientific knowledge in dealing and they should look to it that they do not with communicable diseases throughout the civi- discover the plague in their midst when, as iu lised world, the second is new and is so far Bombay, it is too late to get ahead of the disease with it are thereby on its trial, though none the less deserving of and their efforts to deal their strength. Nothing short of a consideration on that account. We have already shorn of of death certification will be should that system thorough steps urged in these columns sense
taken to investigate Professor Haffkine's results with the view of placing the question of the of the preventive serum on a sounder and of affording the profession at large
efficacy basis,
firmer ground on which to base their opinion. Until more is known of the prophylactic and its effects, the attitude of the profession should
safeguard iu this tection, surely this is
prove
a
and
dealt with
by
those who
matter of disease dea matter that can be
know and rule the
There are in these days hundreds of native medical men turned out from our young medical schools, to whom a small salary as regis-
people.
trars of deaths in the districts in which
they reside would be gladly accepted ; and under such Opposition will be blind belief, and, seeing how great are the bene- a system, gradually introduced, the record of fits hoped for, we are all bound to give our assis- death-causation would become year by year tance in procuring the truth by whatever means more efficient and accurate. This is a matter lie in our power. worthy of a larger field of discussion and is outThe danger of drawing too hasty inferences side the scope of this article, but is at least to be be decided.
as
mistaken
as
a
from statistics has been demonstrated too often to allow us to overlook it here, and, tempt-
considered
ing though Professor Haffkine's first group of figures are, yet we must bear in mind that they are after all only, as it were, negative proofs of the result, and that the of fallacy
value.
This,
has
to prove itself.
loopholes
both obvious and nuni tous. All the more need for help from us all by careful experiment and observation to verify the utility of treat-
are
epidemic
as
an
disease
aid to efficient treatment of
by
we
methods of
fully recognised
maintain, plague inoculation
We cannot believe that, ever is proved of real value, there will be more difficulty in introducing it than there has
yet
if it
been in the case of vaccination. With the latter there was a long struggle, but the victory is ours: thanks to the untiring efforts of medical
142
INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
men throughout the country for years, each convinced that he taught the truth and beinoO -3 able to prove his words daily by examples of immunity from the disease that hitherto had
ravaged humanity
without
a
check ;
so
may
it be with the have
plague-serum, but we must first light and be not content with calling
more
to others for
personal
it,
but must strive to obtain it
efforts.
lends itself to
us
Curiously enough for
experiment
the
iu this
by our plague regard
by the method of its attack on a new community. First the imported case or cases, then the dead rats, and after, in some cases, weeks, the cases and the outbreak of the epidemic. Here are lines oti which research might be con-
local
ducted with benefit of the first
to
imported
all ; on the appearance case, let half the commu-
whether it is a jail- or a village- submit to inoculation and let the results be recorded. Jail
nity,
experience would be especially valuable,
as the life and to of infection are conditions exposure and the similar sources of many fallacy perforce
in the latter respect, which are inevitable in dealing with a free village population, are eliminated. Town and more
city experiments
fallacious and
are
to
be
would
a
fortiori be
deprecated
on
that
Let the two
account. new, work
on
side
methods, the old and the by side. At present both
cloud of disadvantage : the first in are that it cannot be efficient unless thorough, and the second in that it has not yet won its spurs as a tried and proved weapon. under
a
[April
1898.