58
ABSTRACT OF REPORTS BY SUPERINTENDENTS.
BEHAR CIRCLE.
139. The following is an abstract of the report on vaccine operations in this circle for
1880-81, submitted by Assistant Surgeon Mothura Nath Sen, the Superintendent, through
the Magistrate of Patna and Commissioner of the Patna Division.
Establishment.
140. The establishment attached to this circle consists of 1 Superintendent, 5 head vaccin-
ators, and 30 vaccinators; but of this strength 2 head
vaccinators and 13 vaccinators were not employed this
year. It was a mistake not to have employed the full number of head vaccinators allowed,
as any reduction in the supervising agency must tell on the outturn of the year and the
manner in which the operations are carried on. Besides the above, 13 temporary vaccinators
or apprentices, taken chiefly from the local inoculators, who, it is said, can more easily induce
the people to accept vaccination than the regular establishment, were employed during the
year. The total cost for establishment, including the salaries of a clerk and a peon,
amounted to Rs. 3,916-13-2. One of the vaccinators suffered from ill-health throughout the
season, and two died. Their places were filled up by trained apprentices.
Conduct of establishment.
141. With the exception of three vaccinators, who were
fined for neglect of duty, all are reported to have worked
with zeal and energy.
Plan and field of operation.
142. The areas taken up for operations during the working season were thanas Mussourie,
Futwa, and Barh and its outpost Bucktearpur, and parts of
Dinapore and Bikram, all in the Patna district. It will
be observed that the four first-named thanas were selected in the place of others that were
under operation during the last year. The reasons for this change will be submitted
presently. During the recess operations were carried on in thanas Bikrampur and Bankipur
in order to suppress outbreaks of small-pox and to keep up a supply of lymph chiefly by area-
to-arm transmission. The vaccinators were divided into batches, each consisting of 3 or 4
permanent vaccinators and three or four temporary ones under a head vaccinator. These
batches were again subdivided into three or four sections, headed by a permanent vaccinator,
to each of which a certain area was assigned, which was to be roughly vaccinated before
passing to another, the object being to concentrate the operations of the whole staff within
the area taken up for the season's work. The work commenced early in October. The
distribution of the staff and the work performed in each area are given in the subjoined
table :—
DISTRICTS.
PATNA
...
...
CIRCLES.
Thana Mussourie
...
...
...
...
...
Part of thana Bikram ... ... ... ... ...
Thana Barh ... ... ... ... ... ...
Outpost Buktearpur ... ... ... ... ...
Thana Futwa ... ... ... ... ...
Dinapore military station ... ... ... ... ...
Recess Work.
Thanas Bikram and Bankipur
...
...
...
STRENGTH
OF
ESTABLISHMENT
Head
vaccin-
ators
1
1
1
...
Vaccin-
ators.
11
11
6
2
Number of
villages
visited and
protected.
278
202
143
32
Number of
villages not
protected.
512
621
246
32
Not stated.
Number of
operations
performed.
4,993
1,642
2,308
1,211
2,152
1,471
539
Dinapore being a military station two vaccinators were exclusively placed there to keep it
efficiently protected. They operated within the town and its vicinity. Of the vaccinations
performed in Bikram and Bankipur 54 were re-vaccinations, most of which were performed
among convicts in the Meetapore jail.
In August a report was received from the District Superintendent of Police, Patna,
through the Magistrate, of a somewhat severe, but very fatal, outbreak of small-pox in certain
villages in thanas Hilsa and Mokamah, with a suggestion that the affected tracts be made
the areas of rigorous vaccination operations in the coming working season. On a reference
to the Superintendent of the circle it appeared that no notice of this outbreak had been sent
to him, and that the above thanas were not included within his field of operations, which
had for the last five years, since the inauguration of the circle, been confined to the thanas of
Bankipur, Bikram, Dinapore and Manair, and that propositions to extend the areas
of operations had not been sanctioned.
He was desired to extend his field of
operations to thanas Barh, Futwa, and Mussourie, which intervened between Mokamah and
Hilsa and the old areas, and always to send, when outbreaks of the disease occur, instructed
apprentices to deal with them. The Magistrate was also at the same time requested to keep
the Superintendent informed of such outbreaks It appears that Mokamah and Hilsa were
not taken up, but that Barh, Futwa and Mussourie have formed the new area of operations
this year.
Source and character of the lymph
employed.
143. The vaccinations were carried on by arm-to-arm generally; and where this was
objected to by the people, lymph in tubes and glasses
was used, but in no case was crust employed. The character
of the virus is said to have been good, and the vesicles typical.