CHAP. X.] spread of infection by land. 349
spreading over
the frontier. The
precautions
adopted in the
Punjab, Balu-
chistan, and the
North-Western
Provinces afford
the surest
safeguard.
infection from crossing the frontier, and thence invading Baluchistan,
Afghanistan, Persia, or Russia. The careful and successful precau-
tions adopted to prevent the spread of plague from the Bombay
Presidency and Sind into the North-Western Provinces, the Punjab,
and Baluchistan afforded the surest protection to the trans-frontier
countries, and in elaborating these precautions this matter was
constantly borne in mind. The most direct line of invasion was
from Sind viā the Punjab or Baluchistan. The means adopted to
prevent the spread of plague to these parts of the country have
been described in this and previous chapters, but it will not be out of
place to repeat here the summary of the Punjab measures given by
the Government of that province in discussing the protection of the
Central Asian countries.
Summary of the
Punjab  precau-
tions.
"The province is protected by a system of inspection at railway
stations, ferries, and road posts, of the general character of which the
Government of India are already aware. In addition to the inspection
of travellers alighting from the trains at a large number of stations
which include all district head-quarters and all cantonments on or
near the line of railway and all termini for hill stations, there are
special inspections, at which all passengers are examined at certain
points which have been so selected as to enable the work to be done
by daylight. Passengers from Sind are all inspected at Khanpur or
at some neighbouring station, the actual place of inspection being
varied from time to time to provide against the practice of evading
inspection by marching across country. All intermediate and third
class passengers are now detained for 24 hours at Khanpur, in order
to undergo the disinfection of their clothes and personal effects, and
an Assistant Commissioner has been placed on special duty there
to superintend the arrangements. A second line of defence against
the danger from Sind is provided by inspection of all passen-
gers either at Sher Shah or at Raewind, all passengers for the
Sind-Sagar line being inspected at the former place. Passengers from
the Bombay direction by the Bombay, Baroda and Central India line
undergo inspection either at Bhatinda or at Ferozepore according to
the train by which they arrive, while those travelling by the East
Indian Railway, after undergoing inspection at Ghaziabad in the
North-Western Provinces, are again inspected either at the junction
of Wazirabad or at Jhelum, according to the train by which they
arrive.
"Passengers up the Indus from Sind are stopped at the ferry of
Mithankot   and   there examined.    Entry into the Dera Ghazi   Khan