76
ABSTRACT OF REPORTS BY CIVIL SURGEONS.
Magistrate says that the result of its working was satisfactory. The Civil Surgeon advocates
its re-enforcement. No steps were taken to train inoculators to vaccinate. In the year 1880-81,
286 deaths from small-pox, or at the rate of .25 per 1,000 of population, were reported to
have occurred in the district. Of this number 2 deaths, or .09 per 1,000 of population, took
place in the Chittagong town. In the Cox's Bazar town no deaths were reported to have
occurred.
29. Noakholli.—The work in this district was carried on by one vaccinator employed by
the Sudharam Municipality from the 15th December 1880; two private vaccinators—one from
15th December 1880 and the other from 13th February 1881, paid by private subscriptions;
and four vaccinators of the Eastern Bengal Vaccination Circle from 11th March 1881,
irrespective of some vaccinators who practised privately on their own account, to whom
reference will be made presently. By a resolution of the municipal committee of Sudharam
passed in September 1880, it was ruled that the municipal vaccinator shall not be employed
at a distance further than five miles from the town. Prior to this this vaccinator used to be
employed freely in mofussil work. Thus the only resource for extending vaccination to the
district by means of paid agency has been removed, as the Government vaccinator was
dismissed in May 1878, and there is no vaccinator attached to any dispensary in the district.
The municipal vaccinator, therefore, worked within the area defined for him. The two
private vaccinators were employed in the sub-division of Sudharam, in the Seabag outpost,
and in district work generally, and from the frequent demands for their services at various
points, the work had spread over, it is reported, a considerable area, although situations,
usually the largest village having a good command over surrounding villages in infected
localities, were as far as possible chosen. The four Government vaccinators belonging to the
staff of the Eastern Bengal Vaccination Circle were ordered by this office to proceed to
the Fenny sub-division owing to the Magistrate having telegraphed in the latter end of
February 1881 that a serious outbreak of small-pox had occurred in that sub-division and
vaccinators were wanted. These men arrived at the sub-division on the 11th March, and
were reported to have been posted at the centres of the most infected parts of the sub-
division, viz. at Gopeegunge, Setomia, Rajeepore, and Churshiddee. These centres or
circles are conterminous with each other, and in their extreme boundaries do not exceed seven
miles from the head-quarters of the vaccinators. The men are yet working in this sub-
division. The sub-divisional officer at Fenny rendered much assistance to the vaccinators,
but the co-operation of the influential natives of the place, which was sought for, was but
partially given, except at Lohira, Doomonia, Rajapore, Shoitapore, Oidpore, and Bishenpore,
where, however, the men who rendered assistance were merely headmen, or men apparently
a little better off than their neighbours, excepting a well-to-do Mahomedan at Rajapore.
The work performed during this year, as compared with the preceding year, will be seen
from the following table :—
In 1880-81...
In 1879-80...
Total number vaccinated.
4,543
1,789
Average number vaccinated by
each vaccinator.
1,514.
579
PRIMARY VACCINATIONS.
Total.
4,541
1,739
Successful.
Under one year.
1,323
One year and
under six.
2,377
No data.
Total of all ages.
3,986
1,690
Re-vaccin-
ations.
Total.
2
...
Successful.
1
...
Percentages
of success-
ful cases.
Primary.
87.7
97.2
Re-vaccination.
50.0
...
RELIGION OF THE VACCINATED.
Number vaccinated.
Hindus.
577
Mahomedans.
3,958
Christians.
2
Other races.
5
Proportion per cent.
to total vaccinated.
Hindus.
12.7
Mahomedans.
87.1
Christians.
.04
Other races.
.13
No data.
The great increase in the number of vaccinations is no doubt due to a stronger staff being
at work in a larger area, in one of which, the Fenny sub-division, small-pox was prevailing
virulently. The character of the operations was however unsatisfactory, and much poorer than
in the preceding year. Births are not registered in any place embraced in the field of operations,
nor can the estimated births be arrived at for want of the population of some of the tracts
where the work was carried on. The greater portion of the work of the year (more than four-
fifths) was accomplished by the municipal vaccinator and the vaccinators paid by private sub-
scriptions. The work of the four Government vaccinators deputed to the Fenny sub-division
is therefore represented by the remaining or smaller number of vaccinations. This was
owing to the lymph supplied to them at first having failed to raise a single vesicle. They
were moreover employed for a short period near the end of the season. The Officiating Civil
Medical Officer, Mr. Lyons, besides inspecting the municipal vaccinations, all which he verified,
visited 16 villages, inspected the registers of the vaccinators, and tested the correctness of
some of them by local enquiry, but he kept no record of the number of cases he inspected.
There are no inspecting vaccinators in the district. Generally the people, the bulk of whom
are Ferazees, are averse to vaccination. They are not actively hostile to the measure, but
some decline it altogether, while others, under various excuses and pretences, express their
nability to be vaccinated. The zemindar of Bishenpore, a Hindu, was reluctant to permit