342 Measures to prevent the [ CHAP. X.
General   rule
issued by the
Government of
Bombay for the
control of
intercourse
between infected
and healthy
localities.
It will be remembered that Rule 29 of the general Bombay plague
regulation gives the Commissioner of the division discretionary power
to authorise plague authorities, appointed for the purpose, to prevent
the passage of suspicious persons away from infected localities or
into other localities, until they had been detained under observation,
and their clothing, etc., had been disinfected. These plague authori-
ties were allowed a wide discretion to decide what persons should
be regarded as "suspicious."
Other general
rules issued by
the Government
of Bombay.
The following is the substance of other rules on the same subject
contained in the general plague regulations issued by the Govern-
ment of Bombay:-
Inspection of
persons coming
from infected
areas.
Rule 4.-Plague authorities are authorised to inspect persons
coming from infected areas, and to detain suspicious subjects at
places appointed for the purpose.
Establishment
of observation
posts on roads.
Rule 5.-Authority is given to District Magistrates to establish
observation posts on roads leading from infected localities to other
places. The officers appointed to the posts are empowered to detain
for examination any person whom they suspect to be suffering
from plague, and are directed, if not themselves medical officers,
to give information to the nearest medical officer authorised to take
action under the rule.
Rule to secure
the co-operation
of villagers.
Rule 25.-This rule was designed to secure the co-operation
of the villagers in preventing the spread of plague to their villages.
The village headman is directed to prevent the entrance into
his village site of any person believed by him to be suffering from
plague, and if any such person is found within the precincts of
the village to send him in a cart or litter to the nearest isolation
hospital, or if this be too far, to at once build or allot a hut for him
outside the village site and detain him there until the orders of the
executive officer can be procured. The rule further directs that
the companions of any person suspected to be suffering from plague
should not be allowed to enter the village site, but should be required
to accommodate themselves outside the village during the period of
their detention, reasonable assistance being given to them for this
purpose.
Instance
illustrating
the working of
the rules.
The following account of the precautions taken for the protection
of the hill station of Mahableshwar will illustrate the manner in which
these rules were worked.
Arrangements to
protect
Mahableshwar.
Mahableshwar is a hill station and sanitarium in the Satara
District, and is during the hot weather months the seat of the Local