DARJEELING CIRCLE.
25
Two sets of regis-
ters objected to.
in an enclosed and cultivated country where it is impossible to move a camp.
If two or three hours in the morning are spent in reaching a vaccinator and
as many in the evening getting back to camp, the time for inspection is much
curtailed, and if this short time is devoted to the rigid verification of each
case seen, the ground gone over is very limited and the general idea of the
work done defective. By this system I sometimes saw as few as a hundred
cases only in a day. Under section 6, paragraph 31 of the Inspector-General's
letter No. 641, two sets of registers are directed to be used. I beg that this
may not be insisted on in my circle at present, the time spent in getting one
written often taking up many hours of the day. Some of my best vaccinators
can just write enough to keep returns with great difficulty.
Scattered nature of
the work
12. Distribution of vaccinators.—It has been shown under the headings
of districts how widely spread the vaccinators have been. Forty-one have
been distributed over eight zillahs, and in Rungpore, Dinagepore, and Raj-
shahye very widely apart on account of small-pox. They have also been
moved in Julpigoree and Bograh for the same reason, and entirely withdrawn
from Maldah for service in Rajshahye.
Introduction
of
metropolitan sys-
tem, desirable
The introduction of the system in use in the metropolitan circles has, I
believe, been under the consideration of the Government, and the Commissioner
of Rajshahye has been good enough to afford me a copy of his letter to the
Secretary to Government in the Judicial Department on the subject.
Extra vaccinators
to
suppress
small-pox neces-
sary.
The excellence of the system requires no advocacy from me, the only
difficulty that arises is providing for the suppression of small-pox beyond the
area taken up without interfering with the systematic operations. Mr. Molony
urges that the Superintendent be allowed to entertain extra men for this
purpose, and were funds placed at my disposal, I should be much more advan-
tageously placed with regard to the rapid suppression of small-pox than I am
at present. If I were permitted to entertain when required three native
superintendents and twenty-four vaccinators as a maximum, I think I could
grapple with all the outbreaks likely to occur.
Small pox.
13. Small-pox and inoculation.—Small-pox existed in Rungpore, Dinage-
pore, Bograh, and Rajshahye during April, May, and June 1871, but gradually
decreased during July and August, disappearing in the rainy season, but
reviving generally in Rungpore and Rajshahye in the cold season.
Caused by inocu-
lation
Absence of pre-
cautions
Details of results of
inoculation
Small amount and
partial nature of
work done by in-
oculators.
It was established in Rungpore and Rajshahye by inoculation, which was
carried on in both districts till June; its origin was not distinctly ascertained
in Dinagepore, but it was introduced from Rungpore into Bograh. In Rung-
pore the disease was general, but the mortality per cent. small. In Ooleypore
thannah jurisdiction the people of one village told me of twenty-five deaths
in June, after which they dismissed the inoculator. The Deputy Superin-
tendent, who made an inquiry about inoculation in Rajshahye, found that
although it was practised extensively in May and June, no precautions against
resulting small-pox were taken, the inoculated mixing freely in public
markets and elsewhere with the unprotected population. This is also con-
sistent with my experience, and is the reason of the annually recurring
outbreaks of small-pox. The practice of inoculation during the hot months,
which was formerly I believe unusual, is a very serious additional danger to
this mode of protection. I examined two places where it had been performed
in February in Rungpore. In the first locality my arrival was followed by the
people generally hiding themselves, and with difficulty two or three persons
were seen. In another village confidence being partly established about two
dozen children were examined, in some of whom the operation had failed, and in
a third all the children, fifty-two in number, were shown. Of these one had had
severe confluent small-pox, another a mild attack. The operation had completely
failed in two cases. One previously inoculated person had the disease in a
mild form. The children operated on were said to have been kept at home till
after the ablution ceremonies, and the disease did not spread. I estimate the
number of cases between 100 and 150 in this neighbourhood, done by these
inoculators. This will in my opinion serve to show how little work is done by
7