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season by the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner of the Metropolitan and Eastern
Bengal Circle.
As I have already pointed out, vaccination is more backward in the Orissa
and Chittagong Divisions than in any other part of the province; consequently
the Superintendents and Inspectors in these Divisions have a very difficult work
to perform and deserve credit for what they have accomplished during the year.
The following explanations are given by the Civil Surgeons of the districts
which show a decrease of operations:—
Bankura.—Decrease of 4,165, principally due to the prevalence of seasonal
fever and measles which hindered the progress of the vaccinators' work.
Besides this, some of the best vaccinators, it is said, fell ill in October, and did
not resume work till January, when half the working season was over.
Dacca.—Decrease of 2,397, due to high floods which were of longer dura-
tion than in the previous year, and interrupted traffic and made communica-
tions difficult, tedious and costly, up to nearly the middle of December. This
interfered considerably with the work of vaccination. It was not till after
December when half the season was over that vaccination could be actively or
comprehensively pushed on.
Chittagong.—The decrease of 2,362 is said to be due principally to the
difficulty, amounting to impossibility, in most cases experienced by the vaccinators
in realizing their fees. The consequence is that no one is eager for a license
to vaccinate, and it is therefore with the greatest difficulty that vaccinators can
be engaged at all, as the men say that it is not worth their while to work for
what they do not get paid. Local efforts have been made to assist them in'
realizing their fees, but to little purpose.
South Lushai Hills.—The decrease of 2,758 is said to be due to the difficulty
in getting the people of these parts to accept vaccination, particularly those
living in the interior, who will not at present allow themselves to be vaccinated
on any account.
Patna.—Decrease of 1,317. No explanation given.
Shahabad.—There was a decrease of 6,703 due to excessive unhealthiness
of the district during the year and to a decrease of 11 in the number of operators.
Champaran.—Decrease of 2,386. The Civil Surgeon says: "The decrease
owing to an error in calculation was not discovered until it was too late to take
measures to rectify the deficiency. It occurred principally in the latter part of
the season, the numbers vaccinated up to February being 30,119 as against
30,682 in the previous season. During the month of March several of the vacci-
nators did very little work, and the inspecting staff did not direct attention to
the fact until the returns for March were being prepared, that is, until the
season was over. The excuse of the vaccinators is that they were engaged in
realizing their fees."
Darbhanga.—Decrease of 7,456, due to the area of vaccination having been
worked over for two and a half seasons successively by the late Government
paid agency which worked continuously for nine months from July to March,
while the present licensed agency works only from October to March. Besides
this, it is said that as this was the first year of the licensed system in this
district the whole district was not gone over.
Monghyr.—Decrease of 3,443, due to the very unhealthly character of the
season, especially during the last three months of 1894, in other words during
the first half of the vaccination season. An unhealthy season, it is explained,
operates in two ways. In the first place most of the people, especially the
children, are in bad state of health, and are thus not in a fit state to be vaccin-
ated, and secondly the vaccination staff: itself suffers as much as other people
and are unable to do their work with much activity. This was what occurred
in Monghyr during the year under report when most of its inhabitants were
down with fever, which, it is said, was very prevalent throughout the district.
Bhagalpur.—Decrease of 3,797, which is reported to be owing to outbreaks
of small-pox and to improper supervision by the Sub-Inspectors. This is a
very unsatisfactory explanation.
Hazaribagh.—Decrease of 6,635. The Civil Surgeon says that the main
reason for the difference between the figures of 1893-94 and 1894-95 is the fact
that from time immemorial in this district it has been the custom to divide the
thanas into two parts, and to thoroughly vaccinate one of these in alternate
years, and as a matter of fact these divisions are, taking the district as a whole,