ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS.
25
Agency.
Work.
Inspection.
Proceedings at
Lalpore.
Doubt thrown on
their value
Proceedings at
Tahirpore.
Inoculation.
Small-pox.
Rajshahye District.—Surgeon-Major C. J. Jackson, M.D., reports that a vaccinator is
employed at Beauleah and another at Nattore. The former, whose work is supervised by
the Civil Surgeon himself, vaccinated 1,358 persons, and the latter, who is looked after by the
Native Doctor, 271. Dr. Jackson vouches for the good quality of the Beauleah work, but
is not so sure of the Nattore results. At Lalpore 8,393 vaccinations, with a percentage of
success of 96.5, are said to have been performed by some " apprentices." Dr. Jackson found
that some men taught and provided with instruments by the Native Doctor had " vaccinated "
a large number of people, but he is very doubtful as to the genuineness of the work, and
this doubt is shared by Dr. Lidderdale. Their proceedings have been put a stop to. At
Tahirpore one inoculator vaccinated 346 persons at 1 anna per case—percentage of success
84.8. The work was neither inspected nor verified. Inoculation is still practised in the
interior of the district. Small-pox prevailed in the district, but not severely.
ORISSA DIVISION.
Agency.
Inspection.
The attitude of the
people.
Cuttack District.—Dr. Stewart, the Civil Surgeon, reports that there were two public
vaccinators employed in this district during the year. In addition to the work done by these
men, a number of operations were performed by the subordinates in charge of the jail, the
different Irrigation Hospitals and outlying dispensaries. The public vaccinators were
employed in the town and immediate neighbourhood of Cuttack ; each had his particular beat.
The Civil Surgeon inspected the work once a week generally, and the result of his inspections
showed that good vaccination was being performed. Regarding the attitude of the people,
Dr. Stewart writes:—
Inoculation.
Small-pox.
The natives are still very much prejudiced against vaccination, and do not voluntarily come forward,
it is only after persuasion and the force of example that their fears are overcome. The proposal to pay
them for having their childern vaccinated will, I fear, not succeed in Orissa. I have seen pice or rice given
to the Brahmin vaccinators as a thank or propitiatory offering to the goddess Takooranee, and I doubt very
much whether the Ooryah would consent to reverse the order and receive money instead. The experiment
is likely to succeed among Pans and other low castes, and will be tried next season.
Inoculation is to a considerable extent practised in the province, " and," writes the Civil
Surgeon, " till we are prepared to substitute an efficient system of vaccination it will be unwise
to stop it." There was no epidemic of small-pox in the district during the year. Isolated
cases were reported from time to time in different parts, but in no place was there any wide-
spread invasion of the disease.
Agency.
Opposition and
failure at Khoorda.
Success elsewhere.
Pooree District.—Dr. Hill, the Civil Surgeon, has submitted a very interesting report
on the season's work. There were two vaccinators employed during the year—one paid by
Government, the other, a ticca vaccinator, paid from local funds. It was intended to com-
mence operations in the Khoorda sub-division, where inoculation has prevailed to a great
extent, and where vaccination has hitherto not been introduced.' With this object the Civil
Surgeon proceeded to Khoorda, but having met with such dogged resistance he was obliged
to leave the sub-division without operating on a single person. Dr. Hill adds:—" I have met
with opposition before, but never to the extent as it prevails in this part of the district. All
my entreaties, all my arguments were of no avail; the native doctor harangued the people in
the bazar, and spoke in earnest praise of vaccination as compared with inoculation, but with no
effect: they were deaf, and they remained deaf to all reasoning and remonstrance." He next
turned his steps in a westerly direction, where there were a great number of unprotected
villages. Here he met with considerable success, having worked in twenty-five villages which,
with a few exception, he left thoroughly protected.
Feeling of the
people.
Training of
inoculators.
Dr. Hill relates a few amusing anecdotes illustrative of the prejudices of the people
against vaccination. As a rule, however, there was less resistance to the operation than
in the previous year, " and," he adds, " I have no doubt each succeeding year will remove some
of the existing prejudices." Relative to the training of inoculators, the Civil Surgeon
writes:—
During the year the Magistrate sent out perwanas so as to induce inoculators to come to Pooree
to learn vaccination. One morning on visiting the dispensary I was surprised to find nine inoculators from
Khoorda waiting for me. I spoke to them about giving up their practice and taking to vaccination, and
that they might not suffer any pecuniary loss they might continue making their usual charges. As I was
going out vaccinating the following morning, I asked them to accompany me, so that I might teach them how
to operate. They faithfully promised to do so, but, as I fully expected, next day I was told they had all
decamped. On enquiring the reason of this, it transpired, these men thought that if they gave up
inoculation and took to vaccination, they would receive a monthly salary from Government; and on finding
out their mistake, they fled back to Khoorda. It was my intention to have engaged one man out of the
number as a ticca vaccinator. However, I hope I will succeed better with them next season.
Small-pox.
According to the police reports there was more small-pox during the year than in the
previous, but of a less fatal character; the greatest number of cases occurred in April, May,
and December.
No report.
Balasore District.—An annual return, but no report, has been received from the Civil
Surgeon, Dr. Zor ab, of this district.
G