ABSTRACT OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS REGARDING
DISPENSARY AND MUNICIPAL VACCINATION.
BURDWAN DIVISION.
Burdwan.—Dr. W. T. Murray, Civil Surgeon of Burdwan, submits his report on the
vaccination performed by three municipalities and five dispensaries. The Burdwan muni-
cipality maintained a vaccinator for six months at Rs. 12 per mensem His work was
inspected regularly by the Civil and the Assistant Surgeons. The people were not so averse
to vaccination as in some other districts. The total number of children vaccinated was 905, of
which 886 were primary and 19 re-vaccinations: 884 were successful. These returns show a
slight falling off from the previous year in which 930 operations were performed. There was
scarcely any small-pox during the year : the inoculation was practised in the town. One
municipal vaccinator worked from December 1878 to February 1879 on Rs. 12 per mensem
in Raneegunge. He vaccinated 63 cases, against 508 in the previous year, during which
there occurred an outbreak of small-pox, when all the inhabitants were either vaccinated or
inoculated. It would appear from the Assistant Surgeon's report that the people are not
averse to vaccination, and that inoculation is not carried on now. The vaccinator who was
employed by the Cutwa and Dainhaut municipalities for four months at Rs. 12 per month
performed 309 operations, against 1,145 in the previous year : 305 were succeessful. This
considerable falling off is unaccountable as no outbreak of small-pox took place, and no
inoculation was practised. In Bood-Bood there seems to be a falling off in the number of
operations which were performed by the native doctor as there is no paid vaccinator
employed, there being only 42, against 88 in the previous year. No vaccinator was
employed at Jehanabad, the work being done by the ex-inoculators, from whose returns it
appears that 435 operations were performed, compared to 127 in the year previous. It is
difficult to say whether their returns should be depended on, as their work does not seem to
have been inspected; but since it was impossible for them to inoculate, there is no reason
to doubt that they did perform as many vaccine operations as are given in the return. The
native doctor who carried on vaccination at Gotan reports 41 cases, all of which were
successful. This is a falling off from the last year when there were 192 cases. No vaccination
was done, nor was any dispensary vaccinator maintained at Chuckdighee. The Assistant
Surgeon was supplied with lymph, but he did not operate. At Mahata the native doctor
of the dispensary performed 51 operations, against 49 in the year previous: 37 were success-
ful cases. This return shows a little increase over the number vaccinated the year before.
In this district no opposition was offered against vaccination, and the practice of inoculation
has ceased.
Bankoora.—In submitting his annual return of dispensary vaccination for the year
1878-79, Dr. R. L. Dutt, Civil Surgeon of Bankoora, states that only the Bankoora
municipality employed a vaccinator on Rs. 10 per mensem for five months, commencing
from the 1st November last. The Government vaccinator attached to the Bankoora
Charitable Dispensary worked from January to September, when his services were dispensed
with. The Bishenpore municipality employed no vaccinator, and vaccination was carried
on by the men of the metropolitan circles. The total cost of establishment was Rs 90 to
Government and Rs. 50 to the municipality of Bankoora. Out of 1,052 operations,
194 were inspected by the Civil Surgeon between the intervals of 6 and 10 days, and 450
by Civil Hospital Assistant Kanye Lal Nundy. Out of the 194 cases inspected by the Civil
Surgeon, 16 were cases of re-vaccination, of which 14 were successful, as also were six
primary cases, and the ratio of successful cases, judging from the Civil Surgeon's personal
verification, was 89.6 per cent. The Civil Hospital Assistant found only nine cases of revac-
cination of which five were unsuccessful. His total number of unsuccessful cases out of 450
was 14, giving 97 per cent. of success. Dr. R. L. Dutt considers this discrepancy in the
results to be due to the difference of opinion as regards the quality of vaccination, while
he carefully excluded all doubtful cases; the Civil Hospital Assistant may have returned such
as successful. There is still a great deal of prejudice and opposition at Rajgram within
municipal limits; but vaccination seems to have been more appreciated during the year
under review when there was an outbreak of small-pox. 1,052 operations were recorded,
against 822 in the previous year within the Bankoora Municipality. There were 969 cases
of primary vaccination with an average success of 98.45 per cent. Small-pox was unusually
prevalent during the year. In January 21 cases occurred with five deaths in the Bankoora
municipality; in February 40 cases were recorded with 19 deaths; and in March 61 with
26 deaths. In the absence of any means for isolation and the impracticability of restricting
communication, vaccination was considered the best measure for protection from this loath-
some disease. Wherever small-pox showed itself, vaccination was carried on promptly
as far as circumstances admitted, and the people were advised to destroy or wash the infected
clothes far from the crowded places, and to interdict convalescents from this disease from
appearing in the public thoroughfares. The services of the municipal vaccinator have
been retained one month beyond the period first sanctioned by the Municipal Commissioners,
and the cases which occurred in the police force were isolated in the caravanserai.