22
Rehrakol had one vaccinator sent to it, but the vaccinator encountered great
difficulties, as the people preferred inoculation. He managed, however, to vac-
cinate 580 persons. His work was inspected by the Civil Surgeon and found to
be good. Two vaccinators were sent to Bamra State and they vaccinated 6,381
persons, many of them adults. The work was inspected by the Civil Surgeon,
who found it satisfactory. Two vaccinators were sent to Rajgarh, and the
Rajah after some hesitation and delay allowed them to begin work. They vac-
cinated 4,337 persons. The Civil Surgeon inspected their work and found it
very satisfactory.
The Native Superintendent of Vaccination vaccinated 92 persons.
Of the Hospital Assistants most work was done by the Hospital Assistant
of Bargarh dispensary, but his work was not satisfactory, as in almost all cases
he made only one puncture.
The Civil Surgeon was out 41 days and inspected 239 villages. The
Native Superintendent was out 123 days and inspected 437 villages.
Staff—
1 Native superintendent... ... ... ...
Government
vaccinators...
...
...
...
Feudatory and Zamindari... ... ... ...
7
24
Primary
vaccination...
...
...
...
Successful...
...
...
...
Primary vaccination last year... ... ...
Successful...
...
...
49,214
48,720
50,721
50,124
The Deputy Commissioner writes a long minute on inoculation.
He
mentions that the Chief of Sonpur has for years past raised a fair sum by farm-
ing out the right of inoculation. He has also, in order to induce the con-
tinuance of the system, given the inoculators rent-free lands.
The Deputy Commissioner says that the inoculators charge about one
rupee and eight annas for inoculating the child of a poor man, and four or five
rupees for inoculating children belonging to the better classes.
I cannot at all sympathise with the desire of the Deputy Commissioner to
see inoculation put a stop to at once in the Feudatory States of Sambalpur.
In 17 out of the 18 districts in the Central Provinces inoculation was prac-
tically unknown and Government has done well in introducing vaccination. In
Sambalpur inoculation is known and practised, and I cannot see why we
should interfere with it. What if the English system is a trifle better than
the native one? The difference is but trifling. Inoculation is a good thing and
the people of Sonpur are satisfied with it. Why should Government compel
them to adopt vaccination, which we Europeans think slightly preferable ?
I believe chloroform to be a better anæsthetic than sulphuric ether, yet I
would not wish to have a law passed compelling Surgeons who thought differ-
ently to do their operations under chloroform and forbidding them using ether.
Yet to my mind the superiority of chloroform over ether is far more certain
and far more marked than the superiority of vaccination over inoculation. His-
torically vaccination is Jenner's modification of inoculation. The operation is a
milder one, but the protection given is not so great.
Vaccination, though it has done well, has not done all that was expected of
it in the way of protection against small-pox; and we may any day see the
opinion started that after all a mistake was made and that we ought to go back
to the severer and at the same time surer remedy of inoculation.
VACCINATION IN PATNA STATE.
30. The vaccination in all the Feudatory States except Patna is under the
supervision of the Civil Surgeon of some district.