SONTHAL PERGUNNAHS.
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west of Bejapore station. As I was forbidden to interfere with him so long as
he was not established, I warned my vaccinators not on any account to go
to the localities where he was to work, and did not myself go to inquire about
his doings till the beginning of March, when, after receiving a report from him
that he had commenced work, I went and inspected his cases. He was indeed
very anxious to see me at his place, for he had entangled himself into difficulties
for which he wanted my help. Two inoculators were carrying on inoculation
in his neighbourhood. These men had a quarrel with him and were trying
to throw every obstacle in his way. He had given the people to understand
that he had received purwannahs from the Sirkar Bahadoor to work, which they
had not, and in corroboration of his statement, as well as to show the degree of
interest Government was taking in the matter, he wanted to show that the
Burra Baboo (alluding to me) would come every now and then to inspect his
work. He was therefore very glad to find me at his place one day, when he
sent instructions to the head-men of two or three villages to come and see me
early the next morning. They did so, and were distinctly told by me that it
was the earnest endeavour of Government to make vaccination supersede the
pernicious system of inoculation. The people appreciated my saying and
acquiesced in it. My words had, moreover, produced their desired effect in
bringing about the result I had in view; for the two inoculators, as well as one
other from a distant quarter, finding their practice fail, expressed a desire of
being permitted to vaccinate. I took advantage of this circumstance, had
them brought to me towards the latter end of March 1872, gave them
instructions how to vaccinate, and supplied them matter for the purpose. They
were instructed to work six or seven miles apart from each other, and never
to come in contact with my vaccinators; for I was too well aware of
the conduct of these inoculators to believe that they would not resort to
meanness for the sake of securing an independent practice for themselves.
And the result has fully justified my apprehension; for one of the three last
mentioned inoculators, far from carrying out my instructions and working at a
distance from my vaccinators, has, I am told, actually encroached upon and
seriously interfered with the work of one of them. I heard that a portion of
one village had been worked in by the latter, when the former came upon that
village, spread false reports against vaccination, and induced the people to
believe that he had received orders from Government to carry on his vocation.
These inoculators follow their old custom of operating on the forearm, and this
tallying with the long established ideas and usages of the people, who believe
that they are inoculating and not vaccinating, they are able to gain ground at
the expense of the vaccinators. As regards the amount of work done by these
inoculators, I beg to state that I have not as yet received any reports from two
of the last three; the other man's work does not fall within the year under
review, and therefore need not be mentioned here.
Work done by one
man.
The first, or Deoghur man, alone has done work during the latter part of
the season. He vaccinated a total number of 147 cases in six villages, adopting
the old method of operating only at one point on the forearm; and though his
operations were very defective and gave rise in many cases to bad sores, yet
I had reason to be satisfied with him, for he seemed to be sincere in his
dealings and ready to carry out our instructions. I took the opportunity of
instructing him in the right method of operating, and he promised to follow my
advice in future.
The experiment with the inoculators this year has been of too imperfect
a character to enable us to arrive at a definite conclusion regarding its success.
A more extensive trial is necessary, and this we hope to give next year. I am
inclined, however, to doubt the advisability of allowing these men to practise in
districts occupied by Government vaccinators. A clashing of interests between
them might prove greatly detrimental to the progress of vaccination.
RAJMEHAL,
The 19th May 1872.