46
EASTERN BENGAL CIRCLE.
Results.
successful, 433 unsuccessful, and the result of 10 could not be ascertained. Of 78 re-vaccin-
ations 47 proved successful and 31 unsuccessful. All the cases of repetition save one, were
successful.
The percentage of success in primary vaccinations has been 99.44, and in re-vaccinations
60.25, and such a result is mainly due to the use of lymph of good quality taken fresh from the
arm.
Progress of
vaccination
checked by the
prevalence of fever.
13. Prevalence of fever checked the progress of vaccination.—Fever of intermittent and
remittent type prevailed in an epidemic form in all the thanas where the vaccinators worked,
but more so at Manickgunge and Jaffergunge than elsewhere. The condition of the people
was very miserable. In many families all the members caught the disease simultaneously,
and there was not a single soul in a sound state of health who could take care of them or
cook for them. Many died without the consolation of having tasted a single drop of medicine,
and those who survived are now suffering from enlargement of spleen.
Thus the people of many villages were unfit and unready for vaccination.
Almost all the vaccinators who had been working in these localities got the disease, and
were incapable of carrying on their work.
The medicines which I had with me served to effect their cure, but repeated attacks
brought on enlargement of spleen in some and great debility in others.
Superintendent's
tours.
14. Tours of the superintendent.—From the 15th of October 1873 to the 24th of May
1874, a period of 220 days, I was on tour.
I devoted 162 days in inspecting six times in Jaffergunge and Manickgunge thanas,
and four times in Goalundo, Hurerampore, Srenagur, and Nawabgunge thanas, 18 days
in assisting the superintendent of the Metropolitan circles of vaccination in inspecting
my circle, and 40 days in stamping out small-pox among a most turbulent set of people,
on whom the vaccinators failed to make any impression
I visited 400 villages, and inspected 21,269 cases.
Every case I inspected was compared with the register. I noted down the state of each
point opposite the name of the person inspected, and put down letter (A) opposite the names of
the absentees.
On being questioned, the parents or guardians of the parties not present answered that
some had gone to other villages on business, or to meet their relations, others were in some
distant fields feeding the cattle or ploughing
During the time of inspection I examined the vesicles or marks with great care, and also
paid attention to such matters as the mode of keeping registers and the spelling of proper
names.
The Mussulman names were more frequently mis-spelt than the Hindoo ones, and this
circumstance led to delay and confusion. I always inspected in a progressive manner all the
villages vaccinated by a batch of vaccinators, so as to enable me to make an estimate of the
quality of work done.
After the inspection was over, the parents and the guardians flocked round me and asked
me questions connected with this subject, and the answers I gave satisfied them. I pointed
out to them the dangers of inoculated small-pox, not only to those who willingly take the
disease, but also to those who live in the vicinity.
The generality of geople believe that they will have to pay something to cover the
expenses incurred by Government in keeping the vaccine establishment, but I gave them to
understand that they will not have to pay a single cowry for it: my words removed their fears.
The false rumour, circulated most probably by the inoculators, that those who have
been vaccinated would be carried away to the tea plantations in Assam, impeded the
progress of my inspection very much; the people were very backward in bringing their
children to me. The subjoined table shows the number of my inspections.
Number of
inspections.
Seen after the 16th day... ...
„ from 13th to 16th day... ...
„ „ 9th to 12th „ ... ...
„
„
5th to 8th „ ... ...
„
„
1st to 4th „ ... ...
Vaccinated in four points, of
which there were successful
4
13,723
1,217
1,101
1,227
752
18,020
3
1,176
94
114
130
...
1,514
2
405
51
55
52
...
503
1
101
17
30
28
...
176
Failed.
42
16
18
42
...
118
Vaccinated in two
points, of which
there were suc-
cessful
2
602
22
44
33
13
719
1
73
7
7
7
...
94
Failed.
12
...
2
4
...
18
Doubtful
7
14
13
13
...
47
Compared with
register.
16,141
1,438
1,384
1,541
765
21,269
Total
16,141
1,438
1,384
1,541
765
21,269
Absent.
3,423
139
66
67
59
3,754
Grand Total.
19,564
1,577
1,450
1,608
824
25,023
The total number of persons inspected amounted to 21,269, and deducting from this
total two cases of failure and ten cases of partial success after re-vaccination, and also 765
cases seen from 1st to 4th day, we get 20,492 cases, of which 20,321 were seen successful and
171 unsuccessful, including 37 doubtful cases. The percentage of successful cases inspected
is 99.11, and that in the general return 99.44.