Part II. ]
VACCINATION IN THE BENGAL PRESIDENCY.
49
Dr. Smith states that "a respectable native, if possible a Brahmin,
would have much more influence amongst the people of Benares city than any
European," whilst in the villages the influence of the European is overwhelm-
ingly more powerful than that of any native.
Assistance of civil au-
thorities important.
Another element which, perhaps, more powerfully than all others, influ-
ences success is the proportion of real interest which the civil authorities of a
district manifest in the work. In no sense is pressure required of them.
" In fact," writes Dr. Richardson, " it may be generally said that in those
districts in which the civil authorities distinctly let it be understood to be
their wish that the people should accept of vaccination, opposition at once
begins to decline." The wish of Government has been very clearly proclaimed,
but it is to be feared that many magistrates do not actively foster that wish;
but rather, because the matter is not one of compulsion by law, treat the
whole subject with comparative apathy.
Vaccination of the in-
habitants of jails.
With regard to the vaccination of prisoners, the superintendent of the
Benares circle makes the following remark, which seems not to be unworthy of
attention, especially recollecting that each jail has its medical officer who
certainly could not complain of the labour of vaccinating a concentrated body
of persons who are under complete control:—
As regards vaccinating prisoners, I am strongly of opinion that this duty should be
undertaken by the jail staff; quite sufficient suspicion already attaches itself to our movements
to make it imprudent for us to risk incurring more by identifying ourselves with any jail
operations. Every year our native opponents raise some such ridiculous story as that " we
must kill a lakh of children before we can build a certain bridge;" or that " we are looking
for a child with white blood, who, unless killed, will overthrow our rule:" hence the interest
taken by Government in vaccination, as " we hope thereby to kill the children, or find the child
with white blood."
Vaccination of can-
tonments.
Some regulations regarding vaccination in cantonments seem called for.
The superintendent of the metropolitan circles considers the sudder bazar at
Barrackpore a source of danger to the cantonment; and he informs us that it is
almost wholly unprotected, and that the inhabitants will not accept vaccination
on any terms. In the former year's report a very similar state of things was
noted with regard to some of the larger cantonments of the North-Western
Provinces. If any measure of compulsion is anywhere admissible in further-
ing vaccination in India, it would surely be in the bazars of the military
cantonments, but there are grave objections to this course, and they are thus
stated succintly in the Government resolution on the report of the North-
Western Provinces:—
The condition that vaccination must be made compulsory has already been disapproved by
this Government. If, indeed, cantonments only included the military bazars, inhabited by
campfollowers and tradespeople dependent on the soldiery for custom, there might be some-
thing to urge in favor of the proposal. But as things are, cantonment boundaries frequently
include thousands of people entirely unconnected with the military, and to make vaccination
compulsory on all these would be opposed to the principles of the British Government. If the
mere asking a boy in a school if he was vaccinated or not was held to be dangerous, as being
likely to drive children from the schools, this measure would certainly be fraught with much
greater risk. It would give rise to exaggerated rumours, and might have the effect of depopu-
lating cantonments.
Persons who take up their residences within cantonment boundaries are
bound by certain regulations on many points; whether an additional condition
requiring that every new resident be called upon to produce a certificate that
he is in some form protected from small-pox, and that he agrees to have all
children born to him in the cantonment vaccinated, would be fraught with any
danger of ill consequences, or be calculated to be a useful measure, might be
worthy of consideration.
Simple facts bring
conviction to the
people.
So far, however, splendid results have been attained in every province in
the Presidency without the employment of coercion. There are many examples
contained in the reports which must bring conviction to the minds of the
people, who, though everywhere prejudiced, are quite capable of appreciating,
as indeed the sequel proves, such self-evident proofs as the following, for
example:—At Donapore in the Akolah district, the Putwaree had refused
to allow his child to be vaccinated, but sixty other children were suc-
cessfully operated on. In the hot weather of 1873 epidemic small-pox
broke out with considerable malignance: the Putwaree's child died, but the
whole of the sixty children who were protected escaped. When the vacci-
m