116 THE ZEMSTVOS DURING THE WAR 
ing in from the front. In some of the army units in Galicia there 
had been recorded cases of cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, ty- 
phus, smallpox, etc. Thus about 2,000 cases of typhoid fever had 
been noted up to January 81. In the Caucasus, on the Sarakamysh 
sector alone, as many as 2,000 cases of infectious diseases were reg- 
istered, and at Tiflis, in the military hospitals, there were 200 
cases of typhus and nearly as many of recurrent typhus. On the 
Warsaw front, conditions were comparatively better, but Profes- 
sor Tarasevich, the noted specialist sent to Warsaw by the Zem- 
stvo Union, incessantly urged the completion without delay of the 
anti-epidemic organization as originally planned. In January, 
1915, an increase in the number of infectious cases, as compared 
with the normal number observed in peace-time, was already quite 
noticeable. Up to the beginning of February, epidemic diseases had 
been discovered in 115 hospitals of the Zemstvo Union scattered 
over 89 different provinces; typhoid fever had been found in 107 
cases, typhus in 43, and recurrent typhus in 25. 
On January 25 the Central Committee subjected the original 
plan to a careful reéxamination, definitely approved the budget of 
expenditure for the campaign against epidemics, and submitted its 
program to the Council of Ministers. At the beginning of February, 
the medical forces of the Unions of Zemstvos and Towns formed a 
joint council which, with the consent of the Central Committees of 
both unions, was to take charge of the campaign as soon as the plan 
and the budget had been approved by the Government. 
On February 17, however, it was learned that the Council of Min- 
isters did not consider it possible to entrust the direction of work to 
the Unions of Zemstvos and of Towns. The zemstvos and munici- 
palities received orders, through the provincial governors, to start 
at once the work of combating epidemics. Local measures were to be 
put into effect with the means at the disposal of the zemstvos and 
towns, but in case of need they could apply for financial assistance 
to the Anti-Plague Commission, at whose disposal the Treasury 
was to place the necessary funds. 
On receipt of the news that appropriations for epidemic measures 
2L A permanent, bureaucratic institution which was in existence before 
the War, presided over by Prince Oldenburg.