22
accept them. The only part of the Circle, as I said before in an earlier part of this report,
where they are at all receiving a proportionate amount of favour is in Kolábá, where the work
in arrears to be cleared off is comparatively little. Probably, too, the vaccinators themselves,
finding a good deal of work to be done amongst children over one year, do not pay that
amount of attention to the subject that I would have them.
Re-vaccinations.
24. The total number of re-vaccinations performed during the year was, 3,878; of these
2,318 operations, or 66.8 per centum, were returned as suc-
cessful. Most of these operations were performed in the
Collectorate of Ratnágirí and the Native State of Sáwantwádí. In the former, the presence
of small-pox acted as the chief incentive to their acceptance, and in the latter, I believe, they
are mainly received on account of the personal interest taken in their performance by the vac-
cinator, Jayarám Kánojí. There is plenty of room for re-vaccinations in the Kolábá Zilhá,
but as yet they do not make much way there, the people not realizing the necessity for them.
Small-pox.
25. Small-pox with more or less severity presented itself in nearly every district in the
Circle during the year, and at the present moment prevails
widely in the tálukás of Rájápur and Ratnágirí. In the
former táluká I noticed its approach myself when travelling in May 1872 in that and the Deogarh
tálukás. It was brought in some native boat from Bombay to Vijayádurg, and thence spread
itself inlandin spite of every effort to restrain it. This is only one port, however, and I merely
mention it as I saw there, myself, how it had been brought. But what occurred there may have
occurred at many other ports along the coast, and I have no doubt did so. I saw two boatmen
in whom the eruption was then in the sealing stage, and they told me they had contracted the
disease in Bombay, and brought it home with them. This they did to some effect, for at that
time I saw three persons who were suffering from it. One a young woman of 17 or 18 years
of age in whom it showed in the confluent form. I think I can safely say that the Ratnágirí
Collectorate was free from the disease in an epidemic form until it was brought down to these
different " bundars " from Bombay, and since then not one single táluká has escaped it. In the
Tháná Collectorate it also prevailed; but here it is more or less en permanence, being kept alive
by the inoculators. However, it got here also a good deal of additional force from the Bombay
epidemic, as it did, too, in the Kolábá Zilhá. In fact, as may be gathered from the brief
description I gave somewhat earlier of the position of this Circle with regard to Bombay,
whenever small-pox at all prevails at the Presidency, I am pretty certain to be inundated
with it, and no doubt as time offers I only, too, probably pay out the Presidency in kind.
Tour.
26. As Statement No. VII. gives a complete summary of how I was employed during
the year, I do not think it will be necessary for me to
lengthen out an already far too long report by giving any
particulars here of my tour. I will only say that I visited during the year the Native State
of Sáwantwádí and every táluká of Ratnágiri, all the tálukás of Kolábá and the Native
State of Janjírá, and four tálukás of Tháná. I travelled 1,400 miles, visited 193 villages, and
saw 5,752 vaccinated children, nearly all of whose names were called from the register. My
inspection work was interrupted during the month of February, portion of which time I was
employed specially, and the remainder I was unable to perform any out- door work in conse-
quence of illness.
27. I noticed in last year's report the inadequacy of the number of peons allowed
to the office, and then requested that they might be made up to their former strength, viz.,
four. Another year's experience has only confirmed me in the belief of the inadequacy of
three men to perform the duties required of them efficiently, more especially during the tra-
velling season ; and I would, therefore, again beg to bring forward the subject in the hope
that it may receive some consideration.
Camp Mallâní, 17th May 1873.