ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS.
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Sonthal Pergunnahs.—This district is included in the Sonthal Pergunnahs vaccine
circle
COOCH BEHAR DIVISION.
No vaccinators
attached to the
dispensaries.
Tea-gardens
Darjeeling District.—This district is included in the vaccine circle. Dr. Purves, Civil
Surgeon, reports that no vaccinators were attached to the dispensaries; the medical subordinates
performed a few operations. Dr Purves himself vaccinated all the prisoners in the jail, school
children, and the European children in the station. Vaccinations were also performed in the
branch dispensaries and tea-gardens—Darjeeling 106, Kurseong 312, and Phasidewat 255.
Dr Purves remarks that when small-pox is near about, all prisoners in a jail ought to be
vaccinated, whether or not they bear previous marks of vaccination, inoculation, or small-pox.
He came to this conclusion from his experience in the Darjeeling jail in 1874.
Julpigoree District.—This district is also included in the Darjeeling circle of vaccination.
No vaccinator was attached to the dispensary. Assistant Surgeon Tarucknath Gangooly vaccin-
ated thirty cases successfully, of which the Civil Surgeon verified six. The native doctors
of Tetaliah and Boda dispensaries vaccinated 26 and 22 children respectively.
CHOTA NAGPORE DIVISION.
Inoculation.
Perwannas granted
to inoculators.
Hazareebagh District.—This district is, with the other districts of this division, included in
the Ranchee circle of vaccination. Dr. Birch, the Civil Surgeon, reports that one vaccinator
on Rs. 8, paid by the municipality, was employed from October to March. He vaccinated
systematically one mohullah after another, and successfully protected 528 persons out of 586.
All the work was verified either by the Civil Surgeon or the hospital assistant. Inoculation is
prevalent in the district, but no data available regarding its mortality. Several inoculators
were examined by Dr. Birch as to their knowledge of vaccination ; and when this was found
to be satisfactory, perwannas were granted to them by the Magistrate to work in a certain
definite area, on condition that they must give returns of their work to the Superintendent of
Vaccination. The police reported 44 deaths from small-pox. In the branch dispensaries at
Chutra and Burhee 141 and 32 vaccinations respectively were performed by the hospital
assistants.
Agency.
Four inoculator
convicted
Lohardugga District.—One vaccinator on Rs. 10, paid by the municipality, was employed
from November to March, while during the recess he received Rs. 6 per month. He worked
in and around Ranchee, and brought most of the cases to the dispensary for the inspection
of the Civil Surgeon or hospital assistant. 799 children were vaccinated, against 1,060 in 1874.
Inoculation has been rendered penal, but still it was secretly done. Four convictions were
obtained. Small-pox was reported from all parts of the district throughout the year, and
measures were taken by the Superintendent of Vaccination for stamping out the disease.
At Palamow Assistant Surgeon Agorenath Bose vaccinated 25 cases.
Reduction of
ex-inoculators.
Inspection.
Singbhoom District. - Mr. Manook reports that on the receipt of orders from the Govern-
ment he discharged such inoculators as could not read and write The number of ex-inoculators
was thus reduced from 54 to 17, and of this, three men could not do any work on account of
social obstacles in the localities assigned to them. In consequence 14 vaccinators actually
worked and returned 8,235 cases, of which 7,011, or 87 per cent., are reported, but not ascertained,
to have been successful. Mr. Manook inspected the work of 9 out of the 14 men (the
others worked too far from the station), and saw nearly 3,000 cases. He verified only 69 per
cent. of success, and remarks that not only the number vaccinated, but the quality of
the vaccination during the season, was far from satisfactory." No epidemic of small-pox
occurred: only 21 deaths were caused by it.
Dispensary
vaccination
Mortality from
small-pox.
Manbhoom District—Mr. Wilson, Civil Medical Officer, reports that 360 vaccinations
were performed at the dispensary of Purulia, and the native doctor attached to the Pandra
dispensary also vaccinated 25 children Inoculation is nowhere practised in the district.
All the old inoculators have changed their practice and adopted vaccination. 57 tihaits
worked and visited 466 villages, and operated on 3,616 persons. In addition to the tikcits,
18 Hindustanee vaccinators worked in 307 villages and vaccinated 15,879 cases. In
former years the ex-inoculators used to charge a uniform fee of two annas for each case,
but, agreeably to Government order of last year, they charge four annas for each boy and two
annas for each girl. Mr. Wilson inspected 375 villages and 26,872 cases. Small-pox is
reported to have caused only 35 deaths during the year. Mr. Wilson has submitted a long
and interesting report on the work of the converted inoculators through the Superintendent
of the Ranchee circle of vaccination, a summary of which is given in Dr. Roy's report. The
Civil Surgeon of Purulia affords strong evidence of his beneficial influence in the important
section of his duties connected with vaccination.
D