6
THE METROPOLITAN CIRCLES.
(4) That a special organization for the supply, keep, vaccination, &c., of these calves
could be easily arranged for;
(5) That to meet the wants of public vaccinating stations, where people voluntarily
resort for vaccination, or of Europeans, or of the more enlightened section of
the Native community, a very little explanation would suffice to render animal
vaccination acceptable when necessity arose for its being practised;
(6) Among a large section of the Hindoo community animal vaccination would be
regarded with great suspicion on religious grounds. In the bazaars the popular
feeling against it as an innovation would be very great, and furnish numbers
with an excuse for not allowing vaccination to be practised;
(7) Owing to the failures resulting from the use of tube lymph, it could not even on
emergency be extensively used;
(8) That for the same reason, this form of virus cannot be used for sending to the
districts to commence vaccinations, and so the difficulty of inducing children to
supply virus for the mofussil must still continue;
(9) That in the event of animal vaccination being at any time introduced into Calcutta,
a vaccinated calf could be sent to Burmah or any district within five days'
distance of Calcutta where a large supply of lymph was urgently needed;
(10) That no superiority has been noticed when re-vaccination was practised from the
calf, and consequently during an epidemic of small-pox, except as a relief to
the lymph supply, no advantage can be expected from animal vaccination.
Annual report of the Metropolitan Circles of Vaccination for the year ending 31st March 1871,
by SURGEON F. POWELL, M B., Superintendent.
THE three metropolitan circles of vaccination have been under my superintendence
during the whole of the year now to be reported on; the three deputy superintendents have
been unchanged, and there have been no important changes amongst the vaccinators, none of
the senior grade having been changed.
2. First Metropolitan Circle.—The district assigned to the Deputy Superintendent of
the first circle, Baboo Ram Soonder Ghose, to be overtaken during the vaccinating season of
1870-71, consists of seven thannahs in the 24-Pergunnahs, viz. Busseerhat, Kullingah,
Kullarowah, Shatkhirah, Bhownipore, Kalligunge, and Assasoony, measuring about 48 miles
from north to south, and 18 from east to west, approximating 864 square miles : in this area
the vaccinators worked in 507 villages, besides vaccinating in several villages in other portions
of the circle to arrest the progress of small-pox, and vaccinated 27,028 persons. Of these
thannahs, Kullarowah has been well protected by vaccination; Busseerhat, Kalligunge, and
Bhownipore, chiefly by vaccination, but partly also by inoculation; Kullingah and Satkhirah,
half by vaccination and half by inoculation; Assassoony chiefly by inoculation, and but in
small part by vaccination.
3. Second Metropolitan Circle.—To the Deputy Superintendent of the second circle,
Baboo Buddynath Brummoh, were assigned six thannahs in the Nuddea district, viz.
Bongong, Gyeghattah, Gopalnuggur, Gaurapottah, Sharsha, and Moheshpore, measuring about
36 miles in length and 20 in breadth, approximating 720 square miles; in this the vaccin-
ators worked in 773 villages in addition to those visited specially to stamp out small-pox, and
vaccinated 31,107 persons. The whole of this area has been well protected by vaccination.
In February 3 vaccinators were sent up to Koostea, at the request of the Magistrate, to
endeavour to check the progress of inoculation, which was being extensively practised in that
and the adjoining thannah of Chooadangah : the attempt was partially successful. They
vaccinated 1,736 persons, and certainly have paved the way to the introduction of vaccination
in that portion of the zillah during the next season.
The men, prompted by the sub-inspectors of police, were too eager to go to every place
where small-pox, the result of inoculation, was reported; and this excess of zeal resulted in
a smaller number of vaccinations than if they had remained stationary.
4. Third Metropolitan Circle.—To the Deputy Superintendent of the third circle, Baboo
Jadub Chundra Ghose, were assigned two thannahs, Krishnaghur and Khanakool, in the
Hooghly district; and seven thannahs, Alipore, Atchipore, Dabeepore, Gobindopore, Sooltan-
pore, Bistoopore, and Mutlah, in the 24-Pergunnahs.
Subsequently, owing to a widespread outbreak of small-pox in villages around Ghattal,
a head vaccinator, with five ordinary vaccinators, was sent there to check the spread of the