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7. The system of self-supporting vaccination under the supervision of
officers attached to circles and paid by Government was worked on a very
extensive scale during the past year. It was introduced throughout the
Metropolitan circle, the largest circle of vaccination in Bengal, where
it was only partially tried in 1877-78. The establishment of paid vaccin
ators and head-vaccinators attached to this circle was abolished from
October 1878, and licensed vaccinators were substituted, who worked for
their own benefit and without aid from Government. Instead of the 12 head¬
vaccinators, 102 vaccinators and 66 ex-inoculators employed in 1877-78, 294
licensed vaccinators worked during the past season, under the supervision of
24 Inspectors, four Deputy Superintendents, and one Superintendent. These
vaccinators were authorized to charge a uniform fee of two annas for each
successful operation. The total number of operations performed, the percentage
of successful cases in primary vaccination, and the average cost of each
successful case were 3,94,186, 99.37, and 1 anna 3 pies, respectively, against
457,757, 99.56, and 1 anna 4 pies, respectively, in 1877-78. The Lieutenant-
Governor agrees with the Surgeon-General in thinking that the results obtained
in this circle were satisfactory for the first season of the experiment.
8. In the Darjeeling circle 90 licensed vaccinators worked during the
past year, against 69 in the year preceding. They were under the supervision
of three Inspectors, and one Deputy Superintendent, and performed 88,871
operations, against 63,429 in 1877-78. Each successful case cost the Government
for supervision five pies, while the cost of a successful operation performed by
the paid staff was two annas and one pie. In the Ranchee circle 125 licensed
vaccinators and ex-inoculators, under three Inspectors paid by Government
and one Inspector paid by the Sirgoojah estate, operated on 87,492 persons,
against 91,061 persons vaccinated by 128 ex-inoculators in 1877-78. The
average cost of each successful operation in 1878-79 was 2⅔ pies,
that of each successful operation by the paid agency being two annas and
11 pies. Eighteen of the ex-inoculators and licensed vaccinators worked in
the Tributary Mehals of Sirgoojah, Jushpore, Gangpore, and Bonai, and vaccin
ated 11,574 persons, against 2,225 persons operated on by eight ex-inoculators
in the Tributary Estates in 1877-78. In the Sonthal Pergunnahs circle the
number of licensed vaccinators at work increased from six in 1877-78 to 15 in
1878-79, and the number of operations from 914 to 3,942. The system of
licensed vaccination was also introduced into the Eastern Bengal circle
during the past year. Thirty-two licensed vaccinators, under two Inspectors,
worked in the districts of Dacca and Furreedpore, and operated on 34,734
persons. The average cost of each successful case was less than 2¾ pies, while
that of a successful operation by the paid establishment was 11 pies. Besides
the licensed vaccinators, there were at work in this circle 15 candidates for
licenses, who received neither pay from Government nor fees for their work.
They performed 16,214 operations, the inspection of which was undertaken by
the circle establishment. Altogether 571 licensed vaccinators and ex-inoculators
worked during the past year under the supervising agency attached to circles,
and performed 625,439 vaccinations, among which 98.73 per cent. of the primary
operations were successful; while the total number of paid vaccinators employed
in the circles was 278, and the number of operations performed by them 567,623,
the percentage of success in primary vaccinations being 98.52. Considering the
difficulties by which it is necessarily attended, the self-supporting system of vac
cination has, the Lieutenant-Governor thinks, been successful. In the Metropo
litan circle, the people, who are still somewhat prejudiced against vaccination,
tried in some cases to avoid payment of the fees by refusing the operations, and
in other cases refused payment. Similar difficulties are reported to have been
met with in the Eastern Bengal circle and in the Palamow sub-division in the
Ranchee circle. So long, however, as vaccination is not compulsory, licensed
vaccinators must make their own arrangements for securing payment for their
operations. If the operation is voluntarily received, on the understanding
that the authorized fee will be charged, there is no doubt that the fee is
recoverable at law, but licensed vaccinators should, as a rule, insist on payment
beforehand when they think that there will be any difficulty in recovering it
after the operation has been performed. Besides the licensed vaccinators
above mentioned, 404 worked under civil surgeons, against 1,015 in the