10
Small-pox occurred during the spring months, and Dr. Dapthary saw, many
cases himself.
Staff—
1 Native Superintendent.
8 Vaccinations.
Primary operations ... ...
Of these successful... ...
Primary operations last year...
Of these successful ... ...
13,153
12,840
15,251
14,991
The Commissioner in forwarding the report says that vaccination has been
well looked after by Dr. Daphtary.
16. Hoshangabad.—Lymph
was kept up at all the dispensaries during the
non-working season, and a few English tubes were received in October. The vac-
cinators were directed as usual to do arm to arm vaccination, to make 4 inser-
tions, not to vaccinate children under 3 months or children suffering from any
skin disease. There was a decrease of 2,173 in the total number of operations,
mainly owing to the idleness of 3 vaccinators, one of whom was dismissed and
the other two fined and degraded.
During the year 1882, 15,611 births were reported, and there were 3,609
deaths of children under one year, leaving available for primary vaccination
12,002 children.
Of these children 10,676 were vaccinated. At the dispensaries 3,517 per-
sons were vaccinated. Last year the number was 3,048. The Hospital Assist-
ants of Seoni and Sohagpur did particularly good work. This year re-vaccina-
tion was practised for the first time by the Hoshangabad vaccine establishment,
but only to a small extent.
The Civil Surgeon inspected 3,091 children. He never found unsuccessful
cases falsely entered as successful, but occasionally a doubtful case was entered
as successful, and in some cases unsuccessful cases were falsely entered as un-
known. The object being to enable the vaccinator to show a higher percentage
of success. The Native Superintendent inspected 7,586 cases. The Civil
Surgeon is of opinion that although the people of Hoshangabad accept vaccina-
tion, yet they do not like it, and would avoid it if they thought themselves quite
free to do so. The annual occurrence of small-pox and its incidence on vaccinated
children hinders the growth of popular belief in the efficacy of vaccination as a
preventative. The unpleasant results which sometimes follow vaccination, such
as severe fever, extensive ulceration, inflammation of the axillary glands and
erysipelatous inflammation also add to its unpopularity. The Civil Surgeon finds
that clothes containing aniline dyes have a peculiarly irritating effect on
vaccine soles.
During the months of April, May and June 1882, small-pox was epidemic-
in Hoshangabad.
There were 1,966 cases, with 248 deaths. In July and
August the disease declined to re-appear again in January 1883.
The yearly prevalence of small-pox is difficult to account for unless it be
connected with the proximity of the Native States of Bhopal and Makrai.
The powerlessness of vaccination to prevent the occurrence of small-pox during
an epidemic was seen by the Civil Surgeon at Sohagpur, where he found a num-
ber of children infected who had all been successfully vaccinated. All the cases
were mild ones.
In forwarding the report to me the Deputy Commissioner writes:—
" The attitude of the people has generally been that of passive acquiescence, but
opposition is sometimes strongly marked in the case of the well-to-do and higher
classes of the people who will often resort to any subterfuge to prevent their
children being vaccinated. Time will probably remove this objection."