6
All the excuse the man offered for (1) his neglect in not re-visiting the place
to examine results, and (2) for his false return, was that "he was a new Vaccinator."
Such men as these, working without constant supervision, bring vaccination
into discredit. Where the operation is new the people know nothing of " vesicles,"
that are the essentials, but look upon the puncture from the lancet, or scratch with
the needle, as all that is necessary. If told that the operation is successful they
are perfectly satisfied, and afterwards on their children contracting small-pox,
blame the operation, and not the operator,
One failure that is positive and palpable will outweigh 100 successes that
cannot be clearly demonstrated.
A man that will deliberately make a false return cannot be trusted not to
receive bribes. At the town of Mandwee, near Atnair, 59 had been vaccinated by
me, 55 successfully and 4 unsuccessfully. Of the former all escaped small-pox, but
the 4 latter all contracted the disease, and 1 died. The Municipal Vaccinator
had operated upon 36,—29 he reported as successes and 7 as failures. All sub-
sequently caught small-pox, and 3 of the 7 failures died. Besides these, 22 in
the same town, who had not been vaccinated, contracted the disease. At Atnair
itself, of 2 who had been operated upon by the Municipal Vaccinator, 1 died
from small-pox.
31. Small-pox made its appearance in the Chanda district in August, at a
time when vaccination could not be carried on with any hope of success. It com-
menced in the neighbourhood of the Zillah Station, and was reported to be present
in some villages in the south-western portion of the district. The Civil Medical
Officer entertained two Municipal Vaccinators, but the first two supplies of vaccine
lymph failed in their hands, and it was late before vaccination was successfully
started. Small-pox rapidly spread throughout the district, and crossed over
into Wurdah, where my establishment were working. The local establishment
did not appear to make any head against the disease, and as soon as the villages
in Hinghunghat Tehseel had all been visited I directed my Native Superintendent,
who was working there, to take his whole division into Chanda, to operate under
the direction of the Deputy Commissioner in those places where vaccination was
most required. Unfortunately, and most unexpectedly, five skilled Vaccinators
immediately resigned and refused to work; it was impossible to replace them
in the middle of the season, and the Superintendent could only take with him
four men.
He found the people very doubtful, and disinclined to accept the operation
of vaccination, but by moving about, explaining and vaccinating, as he had seen me
do, he was able in some measure to overcome the objections; and when stopped by
the heat of the weather, 3,393 had been vaccinated by his division, 145 having
been operated upon twice.
In a letter from the Medical Officer of Chanda, dated 27th January, I was
informed that a Native Doctor and Vaccinator were working at and near Cha-
moorsee, where small-pox was very severe, and that these men reported favourably
of the progress of their work. From the Police returns, however, it appears that
860 cases of small-pox, and 101 deaths had been reported in the town of Cha-
moorsee itself between 14th November 1868 and 26th January 1869 ; and up to
31st of March, the numbers had increased to 1,078 cases and 150 deaths. Up to
8th April, the date of the last return, there had been 5,055 cases and 829 deaths
reported from 244 towns and villages in 11 sub-divisions.