ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS FROM CIVIL SURGEONS.
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BEHAR—PATNA DIVISION.
Dinapore.
Patna district—Dinapore cantonment and sub-division.—Dr. Tuson reports that one vaccinator
on Rs. 10 was employed, who worked in Dinapore and the neighbouring villages. The canton-
ment magistrate gave every aid. Two hundred and seventy-eight persons are said to have been
vaccinated, of whom 217 or 78.05 per cent. were successful. The cases were inspected and
verified by the civil surgeon who found the quality of the lymph to be good whenever he used
it for vaccinating European children. The people are beginning to appreciate vaccination, but
there still remains a prejudice against it. A few inoculators have been taught how to
vaccinate. Small-pox was prevalent throughout the year. Dr. Tuson observes that one
vaccinator is quite inadequate for a large cantonment like Dinapore.
Patna city
and district.
Patna city and district.—Dr. Smith has submitted an interesting report from which the
following has been extracted:—
" Ten vaccinators are entertained for Patna and Bankipore. Of those at Patna three
are paid by Government Rs. 10 a month throughout the year. The remaining four are paid
Rs. 10 per month by the municipality, but they are only entertained from November to
April. Of the three men at Bankipore two are permanent, being paid by the municipality,
and the third is also paid by the municipality, but he is temporarily entertained.
" Ten inoculators who have been taught to vaccinate are also at work at Patna.
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Behar.
"At Behar there was a somewhat irregular establishment. Two vaccinators were employed
in the month of December, six in January, and seven during February and March. They
were all paid by the municipality, their pay varying from Rs. 6 to Rs. 10 per mensem.
Barh.
" At Barh one vaccinator attached to the dispensary was entertained from 24th November
1873 to 31st March 1874.
" Altogether at Patna, Bankipore, Behar and Barh there were 16,029 vaccinations reported
this year, against 14,256 last year." The work was inspected by the civil surgeon and the
assistant surgeons of the different branch dispensaries Inoculation is on the decrease; many
inoculators were trained and granted passes, but some of the men are reported to have
practised inoculation under the guise of their pass. Sporadic cases of small-pox occurred,
and measures were taken to prevent the disease from spreading. Dr. Smith points out the
utter inadequacy of the existing establishment of vaccinators to the requirements of the
Patna district, and strongly advocates the opening of a regular vaccine circle on the same
scale as the eastern Bengal circle.
Gya.
Gya district.—Dr. R. Macleod reports there are two vaccinators attached to the sudder
dispensary and paid Rs. 10 a month by Government throughout the year; and at the sub-
divisional dispensaries of Nowadah, Aurungabad, and Jehanabad, the three municipalities
entertained one vaccinator in each, on Rs. 10, from November to April. The permanent
vaccinators worked in the town of Gya and its adjoining villages. The sub-divisional men
worked where they found people willing to take vaccination. One thousand one hundred
and ninety-six persons are said to have been vaccinated, against 1,207 in the previous year, of
whom 1,099, or 92.2 per cent., were successful. All the cases at the sudder station were
inspected by the civil surgeon or his assistant. The people are said to be not hostile to
vaccination, but inoculation is prevalent in the district. All the vaccinators employed were
old inoculators; eight of them were trained in Nowadah, where they promised to vaccinate.
Four of them, however, practiced inoculation instead of vaccination. Small-pox was not
more than usually prevalent, and whenever practicable, vaccinators were sent out to villages
where it was rather severe.
Arrah.
Arrah district.—Dr. Thornton reports that vaccination was carried on in Arrah,
Sasseram, Jugdispore, Doomraon, and Buxar. He states that at Arrah three vaccinators
were employed on Rs. 10 per month each, two being paid by Government, and one by the
municipality. They were told off to certain defined mohullahs of the town, and the neigh-
bouring villages, and their work was inspected twice a week by the civil surgeon. Two
thousand one hundred and ninety-seven persons are said to have been vaccinated, against
2,671 in the previous year, with a success of 87.16. The report proceeds:—"The people
of Arrah and its neighbourhood for the most part accept vaccination readily. Inoculation
has considerably fallen off since its prohibition within the bounds of municipalities, but it
still prevails extensively in other parts of the district. During the year 22 inoculators were
induced to adopt the practice of vaccination. After receiving some instruction they were
required to perform some vaccinations before me, after which they received certificates of
their ability to vaccinate and some vaccine lymph or crusts for their operations. As
most of these men went away into the interior of the district, it was impossible to exercise
i