xlii
RANCHEE CIRCLE.
5. They undoubtedly have influence with the people within their former special
beats as inoculators; but it is impossible so to arrange the parties that every man shall
work in his own former beat; and out of their own limits they seem to have no greater
influence than other people. Moreover, under such circumstances they are apt to be sulky,
and to make no effort to get cases.
6. Under instructions from the Inspector General, it was determined to occupy only
one zillah, at first at any rate ; the circle being too extensive for supervision to be kept up
in all the zillahs at once. Hazareebagh seemed to me the best district to begin with,
because all the Sindooriahs engaged belonged to it and thus whatever influence they
had would be made useful. Moreover, they were not likely to work contentedly if sent far
from their homes ; remembering, as I did, that they could leave at any moment and revert
to inoculation (which there was no legal means of stopping) if disgusted with their new
service.
7. Leaving Ranchee on the 26th October, my camp reached Hazareebagh on the 30th,-
where the three native superintendents had just arrived, and all the vaccinators now assem-
bled. Some days were spent in distributing the men into parties, teaching the new hands,
procuring various articles of equipment necessary for the men according to the plan followed
in the North-Western Provinces, with which the native superintendents were familiar, also
preliminary arrangements concerning the remittance of pay, &c., &c. Vaccination was begun
at the mission, and among certain Christian villages, a little way from Hazareebagh, with
some English lymph sent up from the Inspector General's Office in Calcutta, in September.
When received, the weather was extremely hot, and doubtless the lymph had got spoilt on
the road, for though kept with all the care possible it was now found to fail completely.
Meanwhile, some fresh supplies came from Almorah, for which, in case of such accidents,
application had been made to Dr. Pearson, and these as well as the supplies sent subsequently
proved excellent.
A small supply was also received from time to time from Dr. Charles, Superintendent
General of Vaccination, Lower Provinces, nearly all of which answered well.
8. The men being distributed in three parties, one party under Native Superintendent
Ellahee Bux was set to work a few miles east of Hazareebagh round Bohrunpoor ; another
party under Native Superintendent Mendhie Hossein was sent north to Pergunnah Koderma ;
and the third under Native Superintendent Ishak Khan to the north-east to Pergunnah
Khurruckdiha.
9. The system of registers and records adopted was as nearly as possible that fol-
lowed in the North-West, but with one important difference.
Very few of our men can
read or write, it being impossible therefore for each vaccinator to keep up his own registers ;
it was necessary that each party should work together, and should contain one man (or more)
of education who could write for all. Of course by so doing, his own opportunities of vac-
cinating would be much lessened, but this could not be helped.
10. At first I remained among Ellahee Bux's party and work was beginning to go on
better, when at the end of November an outbreak of small-pox, said to be very fatal, was
reported by the Police and Civil authorities to have occurred at Etkhoree, some 30 miles
west of Hazareebagh. Arrangements were at once made for Ellahee Bux's party, being the
nearest, to proceed there, some men going forward at once, others following after taking
lymph from cases in progress.
My own camp reached Etkhooree on 4th December, when I found that no small-pox
had occurred, after every enquiry. Attempts to vaccinate here were most unsuccessful.
With all the aid of the Rajah, who did his utmost, only two children were done successfully,
and a long time after I heard that people still visited the children daily to see how soon
they would die. Some of the people had told me when there, that any illness occurring
within two years or even within many years would be attributed to the vaccination, others
more reasonable thought that perhaps twelve months probation would be sufficient. All were
most fearful and suspicious.
After much waste of time by this false alarm, the party moved back to their former
neighbourhood, and a request was made to the Police authorities to guard against such false
reports from their subordinates in future.
11. My own camp now moved to the north-east in search of Mendhie Hossein's part,
whom I found at Domchach, whither he had moved them from Koderma, where no work