23
The only two assistant. superintendents that can be advantageously compared
with the previous year are the Dharwad and North Kanada.—the other three are
new to their districts and two of them have been only 7 months at work.
Syphilis.
23. In the course of my tour I have not seen or heard of any infection of
syphilis following vaccination, but I have seen some
cases with some ugly-looking scabs over the body af-
ter vaccination which I attribute to the vaccinator using purulent lymph. I re-
gret to say I have found some of them doing so. Many of the vaccinators are
young hands and unless they have been carefully trained become very careless in
the manipulation of lymph. I have found some vaccinating with blood mixed
with lymph. For this the vaccinator should invariably be punished and it would
be well it he could be suspended for a couple of months, if a substitute could only
be at once provided which seldom happens to be the case.
Candidates.
24. The supply of candidates is a matter which deserves more attention than
has yet been paid to it, especially in these days of
education and progress. I find much difficulty in
getting properly qualified men at a moment's notice, so to speak. There is no lack
of candidates or of good men, but they refuse to learn with a vaccinator, for two
months, and then remain in the superintendent's office another month without pay,
and perhaps be another month before an appointment can be given them.
Ap-
plicants apply and sometimes come long distances to present themselves for exa-
mination in the rudiments of arithmetic, reading and writing, &c., as they have to
do, unless they have passed the prescribed examination for entry into the public
service but they want almost invariably a place at once, forgetting that they are
totally ignorant of the duties they are required to perform. This difficulty of pro-
caring efficient men, at short notice, especially when the superintendent is on
tour, renders the filling-up of some vacancies, until a considerable time has elapsed,
almost impossible, and in the urgency of the moment inferior men must occasion-
ally creep in. To remedy this possibility, and enable the superintendent always to
have competent men ready for appointment, I would suggest that a candidate,
on a small salary, be always attached to the superintendent's office. By this
means, he would not only be ready for employment, as a substitute or otherwise,
in case of vaccinators going on leave, but could be sent off at once to places where
the services of a vaccinator might be urgently required. This want of a qualified
man, ready for immediate employment, I have lately had occasion to feel acutely.
In the Supa petha a temporary vaccinator. J. M. De Souza, has been employed.
Just before my arrival there, he became sick but managed to keep up his lymph
for me to see. In this taluka, after the commencement of the monsoon, very little
work can be done, so that it is a great object to do all we can in the fair seasons.
Unfortunately the man got worse, a substitute not being ready at hand the lymph
was lost and the work interrupted.
Village registers.
25. Village registers are fairly kept up in all villages of this circle-
in the amended and more simple form. A fow
cases' of their not being so. has been reported by the
assistant superintendent which have been remedied. Formerly it was the
custom to remove these registers every year from the village to the mamlutdar's
kacheri. In future the collectors, except Dharwad, inform me in reply to my re-
presentation, that these registers will either be kept altogether in the village to
which they refer or not removed till after five years. They are also to be kept in
a proper book, instead of on slips of paper, for ready reference.
Aid from civil and political
officers acknowledged.
26. To the civil and political authorities generally my thanks are due for
the ready aid they have afforded me and the counten-
ance they have given to the cause of vaccination.
Office.
27. Regarding the office I have not much to say except that during the
year there has been an unusual amount of extra work
thrown on it on account of the many circulars that
have had to be issued and the numbers of monthly and weekly returns that have
had to be returned to vaccinators for correction or explanation over and over again.