18
"Seeing to the introduction of a new system of propagating lymph, and seeing to the
energy of the vaccinators when proceeding to their respective circles on account of
their recent promotion, it was expected that the number for this year would be
large. This hope was the more cherished as almost all the causes which brought
on a decrease for the last year were absent at least at the beginning of the working
season. But unfortunately a powerful cause, which was not even dreamt of, and
which though true I am as yet diffident to unfold, dashed down all our hopes and
kept us nearly in the same position in which we were last year. The vaccinators
appointed to work in the interior of the district were directed by end of last Octo-
ber personally to select subjects from among a number of vaccinated children for
extracting lymph for their use, so that they might have no cause to complain
against the city vaccinators, upon whom always the charge of providing lymph lies.
Thus supplied they began their operations, but almost all of them had to return to
Nagpur, as the lymph in some cases signally failed and in others the quantity of
lymph obtained was too small to admit of their carrying on their work with energy.
Nearly the whole of November was spent without doing anything material, and the
general return for that month was very low in consequence. This state of things
was not confined to the month of November only. It extended, though in a less
degree, to the whole of the working season. This lymph manifested extraordinary
phases. In the first place a number of children proved unsuccessful; secondly,
from vesicles of successful children available for lymph, lymph sufficient for the
requirements of the vaccinators was not to be had. These circumstances were
not universal. Sometimes it produced as good effects as lymph usually does."
During the year 1882 there were only 4 reported cases of small-pox.
Staff—
1 Native Superintendent.
13 Vaccinators.
Number of primary cases vaccinated 22,603. Of these successful 21,670.
Last year there were 22,615 primary cases. Of these there were 22,014
successful.
25. Wardha.—During
the hot weather cholera was epidemic in this dis-
trict, and the vaccinators were fully employed on cholera duty. There was, how-
ever, no cholera in Hinghanghat, and the Hospital Assistant of that place kept up
his supply of lymph all summer. On the 3rd of October, 10 English tubes were
received from Nagpur with which 5 children were vaccinated, 3 were successful
2 unsuccessful. Five tubes of calf lymph were also received, and with this 5 chil-
dren were vaccinated, 4 were successful. The Civil Surgeon writes that the people
have a great aversion to arm to arm vaccination. The person who permits the
lymph to be taken from the arm of his child thinks he is giving away his child's
blood, or life as he would term it. The person whose child is vaccinated does
not like to see matter put into his child's arm which has been taken in his pre-
sence from the arm of a child of another caste, more especially if that caste is
lower than his own. There is not the same objection to vaccination from tubes,
which the people call medicine.
The Civil Surgeon, owing to bad health and to his having to attend to
serious cases of illness at head-quarters, was only able to be 35 days in camp ; but
he was able to visit all the. vaccine circles except two, and everywhere he saw
good work, especially that of Mahomed Amir. He says :—
" The attitude of the people as regards vaccination may be described as passive, they
permit it because they believe it is the wish of the Sirkar; at the same time they
admit that since the introduction of vaccination the deaths from small-pox are very
few indeed; we must continue to work, watch and wait."
There were 66 deaths from small-pox during the year as compared with 3
deaths in the year previous and 13 deaths in the year before that.
Staff—
1 Native Superintendent.
7 Vaccinators.
Total primary cases this year
Of these successful
...
...
Total primary last year
Of these successful
15,412
14,525
15,045
14,032
26
Chanda.—Two vaccinators were dismissed for unsatisfactory work,
other men being entertained. The vaccination staff was increased by 2.