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FROM
THE LATE OFFG. DEPY. SUPDT. OF VACCINATION,
SONTHAL PERGUNNAHS.
To
THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF HOSPITALS,
DINAPORE CIRCLE.
Dated Rajmehal, the 25th May 1869.
SIR,
In submitting the vaccine report of the Sonthal Pergunnahs for the season
1868-69, I beg to state that I cannot give a full report as required, owing to a late period at
which I joined my appointment and my total inexperience in the Department.
I joined my appointment in the middle of March when the working season was about to
expire. I at once began to inspect the workings of the vaccinators and to induce the heads-of
villages to _adopt vaccination in the district of Deogurh. I had not been a fortnight there
when I was called upon in the district of Godda to check an epidemic of small-pox which
broke out at that time.
I joined the scene of operation on the 7th April with my whole staff, but could not
commence the operations until a few days later.
No vaccination has ever been performed on these people before. One vaccinator was
sent last year to try vaccination on them, and in his attempt he fell into such a dangerous
position that his life was even threatened, and he was obliged to return unsuccessful. Hence
the difficulty I encountered on the onset may easily be conceived.
The principal objections existing amongst the Sonthals is their superstitious impressions
of the existence of witches (phookshins) to which they attribute the present outbreak of small-
pox. They believe that these devils by some unnatural power transmit the contagion from
one person to another, and it is their firm belief that inoculators only possess the power of
remedying this evil.
These objections, untenable as they are, were soon overcome, and their superstitious fears
were dispelled off by mere persuasion. The people were so much alarmed at the progress the
disease was making, and the dreadful result arising from inoculation that they at last submit-
ted to the operation.
The vaccinators were then distributed to different directions, and thus within a few days
I was able to put a stop to the epidemic. The success resulting from the first few operations
removed all their fears and contributed to establish a faith amongst the Sonthals, and thus
opened the field for the ensuing year. Village after village was operated on ; no difficulty was
experienced in procuring lymph and in carrying on the arm-to-arm operations and we were
permitted to re-vaccinate the unsuccessful punctures. The cases were brought up for inspec-
tion readily ; the villagers were friendly with the vaccinators and the vaccinators worked
willingly and cheerfully. Hundreds flocked to the bungalow for medical advice and treatment.
Thus our work throve prosperously for a few days only. At the end of the month, the
heat became so excessive that the result of the operation was in most cases either unsuccessful
or doubtful, and the appearance of diarrhœa and dysentery among the vaccinated compelled
me to stop the operation.
Small-pox occurred among ten cases after vaccination, the disease showing itself after the
first week of operation ; two cases proved fatal, the small-pox being of the confluent variety.
Small-pox had, at that time, attacked several members of the family, in the same house, so
that it is evident the system had imbibed the poison prior to vaccination; for, as soon as the
vaccine pustules showed themselves thoroughly formed, a good crop of small-pox eruption
immediately followed. The other cases recovered without disfigurement of any kind.
I regret that I had not an efficient staff of vaccinators. Their zeal for work and their
conduct on the whole were not so satisfactory as is desirable, with the exception of one. He
worked with the greatest attention and zeal, his number exceed twice as much as those of the
others put together.
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