(18)
not at all, and in consequence also of the absence of a proper system of supply
from the depôts, these institutions have hitherto not been fully utilized. This
has, however, been put right since the close of the year under report, and in
future the depôts will be worked to their utmost capacity, i.e., up to an output of
9,600 grains of lanoline vaccine paste a month: they cannot do more than this
at present. During the recess months, i.e., from 1st April to 30th September,
when vaccination is almost entirely suspended, only emergent indents will be
complied with for lymph required to stamp out outbreaks of small-pox, or for
any other special purpose. During the working season, from 1st October to
31st March, the monthly outturn of 9,600 grains, which will ordinarily be
sufficient for the vaccination of from 19,200 to 38,400 subjects, will be supplied
to the districts in proportion to their population.
Attitude of the people and diffi-
culty in realizing vaccination fees.
18. The attitude of the people towards vaccination continues, generally
speaking, to be one of passive acceptance of the
prophylactic with very strong objections to pay for
the operation which many of them in every district
manage somehow to succeed in evading with impunity. This naturally has
a very disheartening influence on the licensed vaccinators, and the result is an
ever-increasing difficulty in getting them to work. It was hoped when the
Vaccination Department was reorganized two years ago, that the moral influ-
ence which it was thought the Magistrate and Civil Surgeon of the district
would be able to exercise would meet the difficulty, but it has not been success-
ful in doing so. The people in rural areas have come to learn that neither
the Magistrate nor the Civil Surgeon has the power to compel them to submit
to vaccination, and they take advantage of the knowledge. On the other hand,
the Magistrate and the Civil Surgeon, knowing that they have no legal autho-
rity, naturally refrain from placing themselves in a false position by ordering
the people in rural areas to be vaccinated. In these circumstances, vaccination
in Bengal does not, and cannot, make satisfactory progress. In my opinion the
only solution of the difficulty is either to extend the provisions of the Com-
pulsory Vaccination Act throughout rural areas, or to give vaccination to the
people free of charge—the latter for preference.
Inspection of offices.
19. The following statements show the amount of inspection done during
the year under report by Deputy Sanitary Com-
missioners, Civil Surgeons, and Inspectors and
Sub-Inspectors of Vaccination:—
Deputy Sanitary
Commissioners.
CIRCLES.
l
Metropolitan and
Eastern Bengal.
Northern Bengal...
Western Bengal ...
Name of Deputy Sanitary
Commissioner.
2
Surgeon-Captain Alcock from
1st to 10th April 1893, Assis-
tant-Surgeon N. N. Gupta
from 11th April to 7th August
1893, Surgeon-Captain D. M.
Moir from 8th August to 31st
March 1894.
Surgeon-Lieutenant Colonel E-
Bovill from 1st to 11th April
and Surgeon-Major T. R.
MacDonald from 12th to 19th
April, Assistant Surgeon
Prinmber Mitra from 20th
April to 20th January 1894,
and Surgeon-Captain B. H.
Deare from 21st January to
31st March 1894.
Surgeon-Major T. R. Mac-
Donald for 1stand 2nd April
1893, Assistant Surgeon N. N.
Gupta from 3rd to 8th April
1893, Surgeon-Captain N. P.
Sinha from 9th April 1893 to
6th February 1894, and Sur-
geon-Captain F. O. Clarkson-
from 6th February to 31st
March 1894.
Number
of villages
in his juris-
diction.
3
55,459
95,687
86,147
Total
number of
operations
performed
in his juris-
diction.
4
616,568
800,270
412,153
Number
of
villages
visited.
5
235
907
374
Number
of opera-
tions
inspected.
6
9,537
18,902
7,004
Number of
Operations
found to
have been
success-
fully vac-
cinated.
7
Not
furnished.
18,510
6,977
Proportion
of opera-
tions in-
spected to
total num-
ber of
operations
performed
in his juris-
diction.
8
1.54
2.36
1.69
Proportion
of success-
ful opera-
tions to
total
number of
operations
inspected.
9
......
97.92
99.61