6
24. In the Nagpur Division, the Commissioner, Mr. Bernard, before the com-
mencement of the season urged on the Deputy Commissioners of his Division the
importance of exerting their influence in spreading vaccination and in providing
funds for the work wherever available, and some correspondence on the subject,
with the Chief Commissioner's remarks thereupon, is appended to this report. It
was decided to provide an establishment of one Native Superintendent and 11
vaccinators, 9 for the district and 2 for the city; but there was great difficulty in
obtaining good men for the work, and it was not until the middle of December
that a Native Superintendent was appointed. There was not therefore as much
work done as was hoped for. I inspected the work myself in the different circles
early in the season, that I might see that it was fairly started, and the Native
Superintendent, Parthasarthy, subsequently made a circuit of the district inspecting
all the circles and visiting nearly two hundred villages in which operations had
been performed. The Tahsildars of the different sub-divisions rendered assistance
in the work; but considerable difficulty was experienced in collecting the children
for arm to arm vaccination. The castes found most averse to vaccination are the
Ragoosees Kirads, Marwaris and Lodis.
Altogether in the town and rural circles 9,387 operations were performed,
and of these, 6,597 or 84 per cent were returned as successful.
25. For Balaghat, one Native Superintendent on Rs. 25 a month and 3 vac-
cinators were entertained. No very great results could be expected from a tract
of country so sparsely populated. Altogether 1,284 children were vaccinated, and
of these only 771 or 60 per cent were successful. The Deputy Commissioner,
Captain Bloomfield, was of opinion that the establishment ought to have shown
more results, but at the same time he remarks:—" These indifferent results are not
" altogether due to remissness on the part of the vaccinators, for, notwithstanding
" the assistance rendered by the Tahsildars and other Government officials the
" people objected strongly to their children being vaccinated, and in not a few
" instances the approach of a vaccinator on one side of a village was the signal for
" all the women to disappear on the other with their children and hide them in
" the heaps of straw in the threshingfloors outside the village."
26. In Bhandara efforts were made by the Civil authorities to extend vac-
cination, Five vaccinators were employed and 6,198 operations were returned, of
which 96 per cent were registered as successful; but unfortunately the Civil Surgeon
Dr. Ffrench was unable from ill health to inspect much of the work done, and the
returns cannot therefore be accepted as reliable.
27. In Wardha an increased establishment, consisting of 6 vaccinators and
one Native Superintendent, the latter on a salary of Rupees 60 per mensem, was
employed. The district was divided into six circles, one vaccinator being appointed
to each circle; 4,546 children were vaccinated in 380 towns and villages; of the
total number of operations 3,486 or 71 per cent were returned as successful. The
Civil Medical Officer, Mr. Thipthorpe expresses great confidence in the Hospital
Assistant, Dabee Lal, who acted as Native Superintendent during the season, and
he is of opinion that the returns are reliable and that the work performed was
generally good; he was however himself able to visit nine villages only.
28. In the Chanda district three vaccinators were employed; 5,241 operations
with a percentage of 80 successful are shown in the returns. The Civil Medical
Officer however does not state in his report the extent to which he had been able
to inspect the work done.
29. In the Upper Godavari district the population is so scanty that little can
be done in the way of vaccination; 196 operations were returned, of which 125 were
successful.
30. In the Raipur district. a circle round Raipur comprising 200 villages was
defined, and in this circle four vaccinators and a Native Superintendent, the latter