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ABSTRACT OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS.
Midnapore.— The general vaccination of the district is under the charge of the Superin-
tendent of the Metropolitan circle; only the dispensary and municipal work comes under
the Civil Surgeon. Since the former was abolished in 1878 no vaccination has been done
at the dispensaries. The Civil Surgeon thinks that this has been a mistake, and that at least
during the cold weather medical officers might be supplied with lymph and directed to
operate as much as they can if there be no licensed dispensary vaccinator. The Midnapore
municipality employs a permanent vaccinator on Rs. 10 per mensem, and during the early
months of this year, in consequence of small-pox having been epidemic in the bazar, two
additional men were appointed to assist him. The Civil Surgeon says that he inspects the
vaccination done by this man every four or five days, and receives almost daily reports from
him as to where he is employed. There were 4,049 primary operations performed, of which
3,903 were successful. The corresponding figures for the previous years are 3,017 and 2,854.
In the Tumlook Municipality a vaccinator was employed on a salary of Rs. 5 per mensem from
11th February to 2nd April 1880. He only operated upon 67 cases, against 96 in the pre-
vious year. This result the Civil Surgeon thinks very unsatisfactory. Vaccination was not
carried on here during the whole of the cold weather for want of lymph. No details of the
work done in Ghatal, Chandrakona, Ramjibanpore, and Khirpai were obtainable. These
townships were under a Deputy Superintendent of the Metropolitan circle, who reported
that a large number of people were operated upon, and the work on the whole was well done.
Vaccination was accepted by the people without opposition. The Civil Surgeon found no
difficulty in dealing with the educated classes, and their example and influence has done
much to make the protection popular among the lower classes. Inoculation is not
practised within the town of Midnapore. Cases of small-pox occurred during every
month of the year. In the Midnapore bazar it became epidemic during the early months,
but the chief incidence of the disease has been in the Contai sub-division. From March
to November the deaths per month ranged between 121 and 202; in December 1879
they reached the large number of 513. This was again increased in January 1880 by
742, in February 617, and in March it was 503. The aggregate in April was 231, but
even this number the Civil Surgeon thinks a very high one for one month.
The
sum total of mortality during 1879-80 amounted to 3,669 cases. In 1878-79 it was 609,
and in 1877-78, 465. When visiting the locality in December, Dr. Gilligan learned that
the epidemic was rightly attributed to the illegal, but, not suppressed, practice of inoculation,
and that it was known that at least 1,500 inoculations had been performed. He thinks it
points to very defective supervision that such a disastrous result was possible, remember-
ing that inoculation is forbidden by law. Some prosecutions in an apathetic spirit were
undertaken under the Act, but, so far as he is aware, one only was brought to a successful
issue. The man was fined Rs. 10. Inoculation was done after the European method of
vaccination,' and small-pox pus was used instead of vaccine lymph. So many people were
thus treated and got small-pox, that a good deal of panic occurred, and they lost faith in
any preventative measure. The efforts of the Vaccine Department were unable to stem the
disease, distributed as it was over so large an area. Dr. Gilligan says that until vaccin-
ation is made compulsory by law, and the prohibition of inoculation made sincere and real,
these deplorable outbreaks of disease will not be stopped, and he urges strongly the necessity
for legislation. He is convinced that no opposition worthy the name would follow the
measure.
Hooghly.—There was no public vaccinator attached to any dispensary in the district.
A vaccinator was permanently employed throughout the year by the Hooghly and Chin-
surah Municipality on Rs. 10 a month.. Another was occasionally employed, especially
during the vaccinating season, on Rs. 10 also. His periods of service were from 1st March
to 30th June 1879, from 13th July to 12th December 1879, and from 1st January to 31st
March 1880. The vaccinators worked only within municipal limits; they vaccinated 3,304
persons. The primary vaccinations numbered 3,211, and the re-vaccinations 93. Of the former
1,908 were successful, or 59.4 per cent.; of the latter 31, or 33.3 per cent. The Civil Surgeon
visited 37 villages. He found 879 persons vaccinated, of whom 500 were successfully so.
The people as a rule desire to have the members of their families vaccinated. No
inoculators were trained during the year under review. The practice of inoculation. has
been discontinued for some time in the district.
Howrah.—There were four vaccinators under the orders of the Civil Surgeon. They
were paid by the municipality, and worked within municipal limits. One received Rs. 12
a month, two Rs. 10 each, and one Rs 8. The villagers sometimes apply to the Magistrate
for a vaccinator, and guarantee his pay, and then one is sent. The vaccinators are required
to live in their respective thanas, and to vaccinate all who may require protection. No
measures were adopted to train inoculators. The total number of persons vaccinated was
3,073, and the average number done by each vaccinator 768.2. The number of primary
vaccinations was 2,867, of which 2,312 were successful, or 80.6 per cent.; that of
re-vaccination 206, of which 156 were successful, or 75.7 per cent. During the season the
Civil Surgeon sees as many of those vaccinated who are in the thanas near the hospital,
and at the end of the season he visits the villages and calls for the persons entered in the
registers as having been vaccinated, and so tests the correctness of the registers. Bengalis
of nearly all classes gladly protect themselves by vaccination; coolies and others imported
for labour will not permit it. Thus about one-third of the population is unprotected.
There is nothing to prove that the practice of inoculation is carried on, but Dr. Pilcher