REPORT.
11
rendered great assistance and facilitated the work. They seem to deserve honorable
mention, as suggested by the superintendent.
Inspection.
Establishment.
42. Baboo Bhoobun Mohun Mitter was on inspection tour from 15th October to
24th May, and visited each gang four or six times. He verified upwards of 21,000 cases,
comparing the names with the registers, and inspected village after village in a systematic plan.
He has submitted a table of his inspection, which makes the percentage of success to be 99.11,
while in the general return it is 99.44. The superintendent again advocates the extension of
Act IV (B. C.) of 1865 to the Dacca district. As the number of successful vaccinations is
already more than double the birth-rate of the district, even with an incomplete establishment,
I am decidedly of opinion, as before stated, that the provisions of the Act may be safely extended
to Dacca. The measure would give an impulse to vaccination in Eastern Bengal. Baboo
Bhoobun Mohun Mitter reports favourably of his establishment, and mentions the name of
head vaccinator Judoo Nath Chowdry as deserving of especial commendation. The superin-
tendent has worked very hard, and performed his duties with great zeal and judgment, which
entitles him to the favourable notice of Government.
43. The Sonthal Pergunnahs.—Assistant Surgeon Kali Krishna Ghose has submitted
an exhaustive report of the proceedings of this circle for the seventh year of its existence.
The establishment of one deputy superintendent and six vaccinators underwent no change
during the past year. Besides the agency paid by Government, 59 inoculators were also
engaged in vaccination.
Operations.
Result
Cost.
44. The work performed by the establishment amounted to 15,039, against 11,071 in the
previous year. The number of successful cases was 14,456, against 10,490, showing an increase
of 3,968 operations and 3,966 successful cases. The percentage of success was 96.15, against
95.08, a rise by 1.07 over the result of the previous year. Each vaccinator operated on an
average 2,506, against 1,845. The cost of each successful case was reduced from four annas one
and one-fifth pie to two annas 11.9 pie. These results are very satisfactory, and highly creditable
to the deputy superintendent and his men. The area protected in previous years was
extended during the past season. One party of four vaccinators worked in the Pakour sub-
division and visited 163 villages; the other party, consisting of two men, carried on operations
in the Rajmehal sub-division in a systematic way, protecting village after village. Unfor-
tunately the occurrence of small-pox in Godda and other places interfered with the regular
work, and vaccination was now performed by this party in a desultory fashion in order to
arrest the spread of the disease wherever it appeared.
Deputy
Superintendent.
45. Baboo Kali Krishna Ghose conducted his inspection with great zeal and enthusiasm,
examining village after village till the month of January, when small-pox broke out in the
sub-division of Godda, where his presence was required. He verified 10,938 cases, or 72.7
per cent. of the total number vaccinated. The percentage of successful cases inspected was
96.21, while in the general return it was 96.15, so that he has more than verified its correctness.
Small-pox.
46. Small-pox was more than usually prevalent during the past year in this district.
The disease first broke out in January 1873, and began to spread widely from April.
From April to September 14 villages in the sub-division of Rajmehal, besides Rajmehal itself,
and one village in Pakour, were affected. The number persons of affected with the disease
is reported to have been 159, of whom 73 died. Thirty-four of these deaths occurred in one
village—Polashon—inhabited by Feroizee Mahomedans, who concealed the outbreak as long
as they could. In eleven of the infected places vaccination was practised, and an attempt made
to localize the disease. On account of the great heat vaccination did not take so well, giving
a success of 42.5 per cent.
From October to March 15 villages in the Rajmehal sub-divisions were affected, in which
107 persons were attacked, with 37 deaths. In ten of these villages vaccination was introduced,
and the disease partially checked and arrested. The occurrence of the disease in the
sub-division of Godda has been already noticed. The work of inoculators in the Sonthal
Pergunnahs has been described by the civil surgeon in his dispensary report.
47. Baboo Kali Krishna Bose has performed his duties with great tact, zeal, and
enthusiasm, and his small staff of six vaccinators have worked remarkably well.
Dispensary
vaccination.
48. Dispensary vaccination.—All vaccinations performed by vaccinators attached to
dispensaries and paid by Government, by vaccinators employed and paid by municipalities, or
by unpaid ex-inoculators, are classed under this head. By statements Nos. I and II, I have
shown that a larger number of vaccinators and ex-inoculators was employed, and consequently
a greater amount of work was accomplished, in 1873-74 than in the preceding year. The
quality and character of the work varied, however, very much in the different districts,
according to the training of the men and the amount of check and supervision exercised over
them.
49. Table No. V gives the particulars of dispensary vaccination in detail, and a careful
abstract has been prepared of the reports of civil surgeons. I shall take a glance at the
results. The work done within the municipality of Burdwan was much better in every respect
than in 1872-73, for which Dr. French deserves credit. In Bankoora, Mr Conolly deserves