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presence of small-pox itself always does, and force them to take in time the step
which possibly through procrastination they would delay till too late to be of any use.
The fishermen have all along, to a man, refused to accept vaccination ; they are located
in places thickly populated by other classes, and are very filthy in their habits. Their
places are the very hotbeds of diseases of a contagious nature ; and small-pox finding
a ready field attacks them mercilessly, and each attacked person becomes the focus
and frightful source of effluvium, which is rapidly disseminated all around, and attacks
the poor neighbours who, though desirous of getting their children vaccinated, are so
surprised by the sudden and unexpected presence of small-pox amongst them, that their
energies become completely paralyzed. Besides the presence of small-pox revives in
them the sleeping embers of old superstitions and prejudices respecting this disease.
Small-pox is no less a personage than that terrible goddess "Devi," whose dread
presence is made known in the shape of the eruption on the skin. To do ought
to thwart or obstruct her proceedings, is to incur her displeasure, and any thing is
welcome but this calamity. When, therefore, small-pox has made its appearance in a
house, all the unprotected persons residing therein, whether members of the same family
or not must remain unprotected till the fiat of the dread Deity goes forth, and is made
known by the persons either contracting the disease, which is very often the case, or
remaining unattacked till the 22nd day after the first appearance of the variolous
papules in the first attacked person. On this day the attacked person is taken with great
pomp and ceremony to the temple of " Shitala," the guardian Goddess supposed to
have a mollifying influence on small-pox, and for whose propitiation vows are taken
during the progress of the disease, which are made good to her on this day. The
particular ceremony of the occasion having been gone through, the company return
and feast, and from that time, the unprotected, if any, are at liberty to get themselves
vaccinated. There are not wanting those who, foolish-like, go the absurd length of
abstaining from vaccination, should small-pox appear even in the lane in which they
reside. How vitally important then it is, to see that all the unprotected are vaccinated
in time to be spared all after bad consequences, difficulties and annoyance. Compulsory
vaccination alone can do this. As it is, already a year has been allowed to pass
without taking any active steps in the matter; and that terrible, yet preventible scourge
of humanity, has been permitted to number among its victims some 556 precious lives
in the year 1870.
Prevalence of small-pox.
5. Small-pox has been present more or less all through the year. It was at its
acmé in April and May, when it carried away 122 and 130
persons respectively ; from June it began to decline, till
in January 1871 there were only 6 deaths from this cause. From February, however,
it again began to make head, and in March 1871 numbered as many as 61 victims.
Altogether there were 556 deaths from small-pox during the course of the year 1870,
a number certainly but one-third of what it was during 1869, but yet considerable
enough to make one feel concerned at such a loss of human life.