14
Local Funds Vaccinators.
3. Under this head there were 27 vaccinators employed during the year, viz., 11 in the
Tháná Zilhá, 11 in the Ratnágirí Zilhá, and 5 in the Zilhá
of Kolábá. This number gives one vaccinator for each
táluká in the first and last, while in Ratnágirí there are three men in excess of the number
of tálukás comprising it, who have, however, been kept busily employed in the petás of
Vengurlá, Khed, and Láujá. The numbers employed in the Ratnágirí and Kolábá Zilhás are
quite sufficient for their requirements, but I think the number of vaccinators in Tháná ought
to be increased to at least 13. My reasons for making this suggestion, notwithstanding
the liberal support that the Local Funds give to vaccination already, are that some of the
Tháná tálukás possess petás which included with the tálukás themselves render them too
large to be reached by one vaccinator with efficiency; and the opposition met with is
such as to greatly curtail work by absorbing much time in efforts to overcome it. Were
this opposition not existent, it might be possible to manage with one man to each táluká, but
as matters at present stand (and I see no reason to expect a better change), it is out of the
power of one individual to answer the requirements of the larger ones. In outbreaks of
small-pox, too, I find it nearly impossible to detach, with any degree of security, any of the
vaccinators to render assistance ; and in explanation of this I may state that during the
monsoon an outbreak of small-pox occurred in the Mokhádá. Petá, Sháhpur Táluká, to the
scene of which I directed the vaccinator to proceed. He had, however, but a very short
time gone to the petá to work, when I received a report from the Mámlutdár, saying his
presence was required in the neighbourhood of the táluká town itself. As Mokhádá, or rather
the northern frontier of it, where he was working, was so far removed from Sháhpur, some 50
miles or more, I directed the Kalián vaccinator to proceed to Sháhpur to give assistance, but he
had not been there long before he was required to return sharp to his own táluká. A
similar event occurred with the vaccinator of Máhim, who was sent to Bassein to render
assistance, but who had to return to his own charge after a very short stay. One or two extra
men would save the necessity for taking away those named to particluar tálukás, from their
own charges, when cases of emergency arise, and there would be plenty of work for them in
the hitherto almost unexplored—so far as vaccination is concerned at least—districts, running
along the north-eastern and northern frontier of the Collectorate, some portions of which lie
close under the Ghauts.
4. There have been some changes during the year amongst the men of this establishment,
all of which took place in the Tháná Zilhá, and these changes combined with other influences
I shall allude to further on, have tended to render the quantity of work performed here during
the year less satisfactory than might be expected. Two men were removed from the service:
one who worked in the táluká of Wádá and the other in that of Máhim ; and another, who
worked in the táluká of Murbád, died. The delay consequent on the filling up of these
three vacancies caused a break of work, and breaks, too, in a few other instances were occa-
sioned by illness. Notwithstanding every possible despatch in filling up vacancies and no-
minating substitutes, either can seldom be done without loss of lymph, and this once lost
takes considerable time to set it fairly going again, which in the end tells with some effect on
the returns. The conduct of the men, generally speaking, was satisfactory during the year,
and their industry and attention to work were both active and close. There are a few ex-
ceptions to this rule, in which neither the conduct nor industry are such as to merit my ap-
proval ; but I will not more particularly allude to this just now, as I hope for a future im-
provement. The 27 men of this establishment performed altogether 60,972 operations, giv-
ing an average to each man of about 2,258; but I must add that the lion's share
of their operations is the right of the 11 men employed in Ratnágirí, who between them
performed 38,034 operations, being an average of 3,457. This average is very high and
speaks for itself.