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acquainted with the usages and prejudices of the people among whom they work. It is to
their interest to perform vaccination operations carefully and with good lymph, as they are
paid by the people only for each successful case.
6. When a serious outbreak of small-pox occurs, which is but seldom, vaccinators paid
by Government at the rate of 4 annas a day each are specially appointed by the Civil Surgeon
to stamp it out.
7. The lymph used in Bengal is obtained from two sources—first from children, and
secondly from calves; the latter is raised in two Animal Vaccination Depôts (one of which is
at Darjeeling and the other at Calcutta), which are specially kept up by Government for this
purpose. Lymph from these depôts is distributed monthly to all the districts in proportion to
their population, and is intended principally to start vaccination in remote places. A stock
of lymph is also kept up at both the depôts in order to meet emergencies, such as sudden
outbreaks of small-pox. Calf lymph is also raised locally in selected areas of districts where
the work can be immediately supervised by the Civil Surgeon or other medical officer such
as an Assistant Surgeon. This locally-raised lymph is employed in vaccinating large com-
munities at the head-quarters of districts, such as prisoners in jails, inmates of lunatic asylums,
and persons working in factories.
8. As a rule, the people of Bengal accept both human and calf-raised lymph without
objection. There are, however, some who object to calf lymph, as there are others who
object to human lymph. I will give an example of a case that occurred lately in a prejudiced
Hindu community. The Civil Surgeon who reported the occurrence says:—
"I am very much afraid the arm-to-arm system must be chiefly adopted, judging from what happened
yesterday. All the vaccinators were assembled to be taught calf vaccination, and no sooner was the calf
placed on the table then, with the exception of a few Native Christians, they all bolted in holy horror.
The calf was shaved and vaccinated in five points only, which I considered sufficient under the circum-
stances. The antipathy to calf vaccination by the jail and hospital officers is obvious, and the fact is I
have practically to do everything myself. Neither the Inspector nor the Sub-Inspector shows any
enthusiasm over calf vaccination, and are absurdly ignorant as to how the operation is performed. When
the municipal vaccinator is called upon to operate he does so reluctantly and with more feeling than he
would bestow upon his nearest relative, and the result is that his incisions are mere apologies and his
operations unsuccessful."
I will now give an example of another case that occurred in another district in which the
population was largely Muhammadan. In this instance human-raised lymph was strongly
objected to. The Civil Surgeon reports :—
" Ferazee Musalmans object to arm-to-arm vaccination; they prefer vaccination by lanoline vaccine
paste. I find this is invariably the case in districts where Muhammadans preponderate."
9. Taken all round, the system of vaccination by licensed operators which is at present
in force in Bengal is working fairly well, and when tested by results is satisfactory. The
death-rate from small-pox in Bengal during the year ending 31st March 1894 was .17 per
mille, which may be accepted as approximately correct, as the registration of vital statistics in
Bengal has lately much improved. In the remote parts of the province, such as Chittagong
and portions of the Orissa and Chota Nagpur Divisions, which are bordered by wild and
savage tribes, vaccination, until lately, was not much attended to ; but attention having been
drawn to this unsatisfactory state of things, improvement in these localities has now taken
place.
E. J. H. & others.—Reg. No. 546J—670—26-6-95.