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ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS.
A new vaccine
circle
recommended.
Small-pox.
Dr. Simpson again strongly urges the necessity of a new vaccine circle for the Patna
Division. The district has been " wonderfully free" from epidemic small-pox during the
year.
Plan of work.
Feeling of the
people.
Inoculation.
Small-pox.
Gya District.—Operations were as much as possible restricted to defined localities. Almost
all the cases operated on in the sudder station were inspected by the Civil or Assistant
Surgeon, the Dispensary Native Doctors supervising the work of the sub-divisional vaccinators.
The result of inspection was " tolerably satisfactory." In the town of Gya the feeling against
vaccination is very strong; it is less hostile in the mofussil. The practice of inoculation
obtains throughout the district. Small-pox of a virulent character prevailed in the Jehanabad
sub-division during the hot season.
Field of operations.
Feeling of the
people.
Inoculation.
Twelve inoculators
trained.
Result.
Small-pox.
Shahabad District.—Operations are here confined to municipal limits, the work (which
was rather larger than that of the previous year) was inspected bi-weekly by the Civil
Surgeon, and was found to be " generally very satisfactory." The people of Arrah and its
neighbourhood for the most part accept vaccination readily. Inoculation has considerably
fallen since its prohibition within municipal bounds, but it still prevails extensively in other
parts of the district. During the year twelve inoculators were induced to adopt vaccination.
After being duly instructed they received certificates of efficiency and proceeded into the
interior. It was, however, found impossible to exercise any supervision or control over
them. Small-pox prevailed in every sub-division of the district during the first-half
of 1874; the disease abated in July, and almost entirely ceased in August.
Agency.
Trained
inoculators.
Inspection.
Feeling of the
people.
Buxar Sub-Division.—The vaccine agency consists of one paid and about thirty self-support-
ing vaccinators; the former confines his operations to the city of Buxar, the latter, after being
instructed, and proving themselves competent, proceed into the district, and get their living
by their fees. These men are supplied with lymph by the Civil Surgeon, and the police
have orders to render them every assistance. Nearly every case in Buxar itself was
verified; " this, however, was not done so thoroughly in the district this season as it was
last." As regards the attitude of the people, the Civil Surgeon reports that they still prefer
inoculation, but submit to vaccination as a rule with tolerable readiness, although less
readily in the district than in the town. " The fact of the people paying the vaccinators
shows that the operation is not unfavorably viewed." There was very little small-pox
during the year.
Field of operations.
An inoculator
trained.
Inspection.
Inoculation.
Training
inoculators.
Tirhoot District.—The vaccine establishment remains unchanged; operations are limited
to municipal limits, a definite quarter being assigned to each vaccinator in order to facilitate
the complete vaccination of the town, " in which," writes the Civil Surgeon, "I think we
have been fairly successful." One inoculator was trained at Muzufferpore, where he worked
with the Government vaccinators. He has learnt this work, and is now able to work indepen-
dently. The season's work was very frequently inspected both by the Civil Surgeon and the
Assistant Surgeon, and the result was always satisfactory. On this head the Civil Surgeon
remarks: " The vaccinators have worked fairly, and the provision for the town (where the people
with a few exceptions are well disposed towards vaccination) is adequate: not so for the
district, where the inoculators have it nearly all their own way, and small-pox is prevalent,
the prophylactic being almost unknown to them except near the district dispensaries, where some-
thing has been done." Inoculation is prevalent all over this district. Regarding the training
of inoculators, Dr. Gayer writes: "The attempt has not been very successful, and I think,
until the people can be got to look upon vaccination without prejudice, the trained inoculators
have very little chance of making a living by vaccinating." Dr. Gayer is of opinion that
at least one vaccinator paid by Government should be entertained at each sub-divisional
dispensary; and further, that he should be kept on all the year round, being employed during
the non-vaccinating season in the dispensary to learn something of the use of medicines,
and to distinguish one disease from another. He would thus become a much more useful and
superior man to the native inoculator, with whose work he has to compete, and could be
made very useful during the epidemics, which are not unfrequent during the non-vaccin-
ating season.
Failure of lymph.
Owing to the failure of the lymph supplied from Calcutta, it was not until late in
December that vaccination was fairly established. The Civil Surgeon adds—
Owing to this cause all the early operations were total failures, and much valuable time was lost
in consequence. I would suggest that in future, instead of our being supplied with two or three
tubes at a time, that two or three dozens or so should be sent at first, for experience here has proved
that less than one in a dozen of the tubes furnished contain lymph of any value.
Progress of
vaccination.
Inspection.
East Tirhoot District.—Vaccination has made steady progress in this district during the
last three years, the figures for the year under review being specially gratifying ; but when
compared with the population of the district, they become, as remarked by the Civil Surgeon,
"truly insignificant." The work was frequently inspected in Durbhunga by the Civil
Surgeon himself; once or twice a week in the sub-divisions by an Assistant Surgeon and
Native Doctor, who were deputed for the purpose. The results were generally satisfactory.
Dr. McDonel is of opinion that in order to establish vaccination on a sure and firm basis, there