52
VACCINATION IN THE BENGAL PRESIDENCY.
[Part II.
vaccination is becoming more popular year by year. The very worst form of
opposition met with is due to natural prejudice, fostered by the interested in-
oculators who dread losing the means of earning their bread after the manner
of their forefathers. The following extract describes the attitude of the people
in the newly formed Eastern Bengal circle, and may be taken as representing
fairly the ordinary state of feeling which has to be encountered in the first, or
wholly uneducated stage of the population—
Vaccination was for the first time offered to the people of Manickgunge sub-division and
of Goaluudo thana, and they looked upon it with eyes full of suspicion and distrust. The
majority believed it to be the source of some new impost, but there were others who took a
charitable view of the subject.
The vaccinators met with opposition in almost all the villages they worked, but it
differed in degree.
The rich and orthodox Hindús, by far the majority, not only refused to accept the pro-
phylactic, but also compelled their neighbours and dependents to lean to their side. Per-
suasion and argument failed to produce any effect on the minds of the people of this descrip-
tion ; they were as obstinate as the Fyrazees. To cope with vaccination, the inoculators
appeared in the field in the latter end of November 1873.
They moved from village to village and circulated the false rumour that of those who
had been vaccinated last year, many got small-pox and died, and this they brought forward as
the reason which deterred the rich men from adopting vaccination. Having implicit faith in
them, the people believed what they said, and determined to adhere to their old practice.
Meanwhile they saw the zemindars and other rich men getting their children inoculated,
and lost no time in joining them.
The example of the people around made the parents and guardians of the children vacci-
nated repent what they had done.
This state of affairs existed at Sarinagar and Nawabgunj, but it did not wear so formid-
able an aspect at Goalundo, Jaffergunge, Manickgunge and Harirampore. On the onset the
orthodox party offered a good deal of opposition, but we succeeded in overcoming their pre-
judice by argument and persuasion. Their example was followed by the people in general.
Except a few bigoted Hindús, the generality of people are not so much inclined to in-
oculation as they seemed to be; and from my experience I am led to believe that they can be
easily made to submit to vaccination as soon as inoculation is prohibited by law.
Then there would not exist any feeling of religious hostility against those who would
first adopt the prophylactic, and their fate will be considered the fate of all.
A certain number of Fyrazees were induced to get their children vaccinated, and others
would have followed their example, had not the heads of this sect inflicted fines on those who
had adopted the prophylactic.
In Assam the people are more strongly opposed, but their opposition does
not take a religious form. The Mussulmans and the low caste Hindús are the
chief opponents; whilst the better classes, contrary to general experience,
accept the preventive with tolerable readiness.
In the North-Western Provinces there is very little real opposition, except
in the neighbourhood of Benares. The Superintendent-General observes that
" speaking generally, the people accept the services of the vaccinators readily."
The Superintendent-General of the Punjab informs us that vaccination
has during the year advanced a stage in public estimation.
Of the Central Provinces, the Chief Commissioner writes:—
It is no doubt true that in some places there is a feeling against vaccination, but so far as
the Chief Commissioner is informed, there is nowhere in these Provinces any strong religious
prejudice against having children vaccinated. The ill-feeling and opposition usually arise from
the unpalatable manner in which vaccination is conducted, and from a grounded disbelief in its
efficacy as a prophylactic. There are enthusiastic medical officers who fail to see that some
tangible grounds may exist for the resistance of the people to their vaccinators, which can only
be effectually overcome by tact and sympathy. They would disarm all opposition by compul-
sory vaccination under an order from the magistrate, and when the absence of co-operation by
civil officers is mentioned, the aid expected is too often of a kind which it is impossible to
render. With vaccinators of good caste, working in the same area from year to year, well-
trained, and thoroughly controlled, both as to their work and their demeanour towards the
people, Mr. Morris is confident that all opposition will disappear, while if the work is being
smoothly and effectively done, your department may rely on the cordial support of the district
authorities, who must be unanimous in their desire to push forward a scheme which is expected
to rescue the masses from the ravages of a loathsome disease.
The people of Rajpootana dislike vaccination, but they are becoming accus-
tomed to it; and the inhabitants of Hyderabad are, though opposed, beginning
to understand the benefits of vaccination.
Lymph supply.—Except in the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, there was
no serious difficulty occasioned at the outset of the season for want of a good