?11
would be made to meet the Punjab requirements. The details of the scheme
were then worked out and the Government of India were addressed regarding
it on the 30th June 1902. The administrative arrangements necessary for the
operations necessitated much thought and labour and involved large expenditure,
but the benefits which would follow success induced the Lieutenant-Governor to
proceed with his scheme. The Government of India approved of it and agreed
to assist the Punjab Government in meeting the necessary expenditure and in
supplying the necessary Medical staff
23.    The officers of the Indian Medical   Service  who   had   been   placed
at the   disposal   of the Punjab  Government for inoculation took up   their duties
in the beginning of September and in, that month a considerable number of opera-
tions were performed in a few districts, viz., Ambala, Hoshiárpur,   Jullundur   and
Gurdáspur.    The   Medical   men   who   were  especially   engaged   in England for
the scheme did not arrive in the Punjab till the   middle   and  end   of  September,
and    it    was   arranged  that   they   should   not   go   out  into   the   districts   till
October, the intervening time being spent in instructing   them as   to their   duties
and providing  them with the equipment and staff required by them.     There was
some delay in   getting them   into full   working  order   as   soon  as   was   desired.
They were at first unable  to move   freely out   on tour   because tents   were   not
available,   for,  though   tents   had    been  ordered   in    good  time,   the   demand
created    by   the    Delhi    Darbár  caused   delay   in   their delivery.      Moreover,
the   arrangements   at   the   Jullundur   Disinfection   Depot,    which   was    utilised
as   a   centre   for  issuing    all   their  requirements   to    inoculating officers,   did
not work well to start with.    There was delay in the issue of registers   and forms
without   which   inoculations could   not   proceed,   and   appliances,   fluid,    camp
furniture,   &c., in some cases failed to  reach promptly the officers for whom they
were intended.    Further, the Plague Research Laboratory at Bombay, with which
arrangements  for  the   supply   of fluid and instruments had been made, failed to
supply the  full   quantity   which  the Punjab Government understood   would   be
forthcoming.    At the end of August the Punjab Government had in hand less than
50,000 doses of fluid, and it had been understood that this stock would be supple-
mented by the daily receipt of 70,000 doses from the  Laboratory.    The Labora-
tory, however, was able to supply only 160,091 doses from the 28th of September,
when   supplies commenced,   to   the   29th   October,   chiefly   towards the end of
October.    The short supply of fluid crippled the operations.    It   became   neces-
sary   to   instruct   Civil Officers, who had been   put on special duty to " preach"
inoculation   and  otherwise   assist   in   the  operations,   that efforts to induce the
people to come forward for inoculation should  be restrained till  more fluid was
available.    In   many   cases   inoculating  officers   had not sufficient  instruments
or fluid with which to operate on all those who actually did present themselves.
Finally,   the Lieutenant. Governor   regrets to   have to   place  on   record   the
fact   that   a   certain   number   of  the   37   doctors   sent   out   from   England  for
the   operation proved entirely unfit   for   the work.    One was returned from the
Punjab  on  the   day   after  he  reached the Province ;   3 others were suspended
about   the   middle  of   October,  and   the  services    of   these    were    dispensed
with ;   and another had to be released from his engagement   in   February   1903.
The   majority   of   the   Medical  men engaged in   England   gave  satisfaction in
every  way, but  it  is   unfortunate  that   the system under which selections were
made rendered it possible to admit such men as those who proved unsatisfactory,
and whose character and conduct soon became so notorious   that   they   were  not
only   useless  as  inoculating officers,  but also a hindrance to the success of the
operations in the districts to which they were posted.
24. In the districts in which a considerable number of inoculations was
done in September the operations were in fair working order in October, but
though the available supply of fluid was husbanded by confining operations as
much as possible to districts in which there was most demand for inoculation, it
was not possible during the whole period of the operations to make anything
approaching a full use of the whole staff. In several districts, such as Gurdás-
pur, Siálkot, Lahore, Gujránwála and Gujrát, the  operations did not commence