DARJEELING CIRCLE.
23
The native superintendent suffered from fever severely, but attended well
to his duty notwithstanding. The vaccinators were distributed in one thannah
jurisdiction only in November, to extend the area already protected; but
before the end of the month, outbreaks of small-pox required their presence
in two others.
Work scattered.
Opposition.
Small-pox.
They carried on operations in many parts of eight different thannahs
during the late cold season, so that no systematic protection could be afforded to
the people in any definite area. In one place only, in Kaurgunge thannah
jurisdiction, was there a really obstinate resistance to vaccination. Two head
men of villages Modhoopore and Bowchundee would not accept it for their
families, and professed themselves quite unable to influence the other people of
the village who followed their example. Fourteen or fifteen fatal cases of
small-pox occurred in these two villages during December, January, and Feb-
ruary, and a vaccinator had to be kept there during these months trying to
induce the people to be vaccinated. Different men were sent in hopes that
where one failed another might succeed. All the Hindoos of Modhoopore and
Bowchundee were protected, but the Mussulmans held out to the last. A circle
of vaccination as complete as possible was thrown round them. The Magis-
trate of the district was good enough to order an inquiry through the police
into the case, and both of the head-men brought forward religious objections
to vaccination. They are Ferazees, but I saw that one of them had been
inoculated.
Bograh.
Good work.
7. Bograh.—Here I am glad to be able to submit a report of really good
work. Each vaccinator operated on 4,086.33 persons. Small-pox afforded no
interruption to the work laid down for the cold season till March. Every
vaccinator was so placed within the jurisdiction of Bograh thannah as to extend
the operations of previous years, and, if possible, to make them meet with those
of the others. Though this was not entirely carried out, the greater portion of
thannah Bograh, with outposts Gohail and Sulgunge, has now been protected.
Native superintendent Tujummul Hoosein worked with all his old conscien-
tiousness and vigor. During a ten days' examination of his returns I did not
find a single mistake or incorrect entry.
Rajshahye.
8. Rajshahye.—On account of small-pox in this district, operations were
carried on in April, May, June, and July 1871, giving a large number of oper-
ations for the season, but when the percentage of success in July is 55.42 for
Rungpore, Dinagepore, and Rajshahye, it will indicate how unsatisfactory it
is to carry on vaccination at such seasons among an agricultural population.
Work desultory.
The vaccinators were active during the cold season, but no systematic
work could be carried on from small-pox re-appearing in many quarters at short
intervals, and being constantly reproduced by inoculation. Vaccination was
practised in the Rampore Beauleah, Poonah, Nattore, Bagmara, Bundaikara,
Burreygram, and Singra thannah jurisdictions, and in many different places
within these limits. From November to March all the energies of the vaccin-
ators were entirely taken up in going rapidly from place to place and operating
wherever they learned there was small-pox. Their small number, five Govern-
ment servants and one paid from local funds of Nattore, was quite unequal
to cope with the disease produced by the inoculators. For this reason I was
obliged in March to call in the Maldah gang with their native superintendent
to assist, which they did with satisfactory results.
Being disappointed with the Brahmin appointed as native superintendent
for Rajshahye, I had again to get the assistance of the native superintendent
of Bograh as in former years to supervise the operations. This he yielded in
a way it is pleasant to record.
Maldah.
Opposition
and
failure.
9. Maldah.—Operations were commenced in this district for the first time
with a Bengali native superintendent and a gang of six old inoculators.
There was very steady opposition in all the places to which vaccinators were
sent. In Maldah itself the only fact connected with vaccination the people seemed