xxvi
In this way we visited all the thanas in the Madaripur and Sadar subdivisions
in which the Ferazis live,- and the work spread d pas de géant; the people accepted
vaccination readily, and there has not been the slightest disturbance of any kind. Of
course this has been due in a very great measure to Maulvi Syeddudin Ahmad, the High
Priest, who has loyally carried out all my wishes, and given the whole weight of his influence
to the success of my undertaking.
I was now eager to complete the work by persuading the High Priest to have his own
children vaccinated, for I felt that if I could do this, I should enlist his sympathies per-
manently on the side of vaccination, should have a firmer hold on the people by being able
to quote his example, and should have the best guarantee that the practice of vaccination had
been firmly established among them.
Syeddudin Ahmad was out on his annual tour when we met the first two or three
times, and although he was willing to have his children vaccinated, he wanted it done
when he should be at home. In the meantime he gave me a letter, directing that his
eldest son (a pupil in the Dacca Madrassa) should be vaccinated at once. This I for-
warded to Dr. Russell, Civil Surgeon of Dacca, who kindly saw that the work was done;
but it was not until February 1896 that I was able to meet the High Priest at his house,
where I met his eldest son who had returned from Dacca. I vaccinated his other children
with my own hands before many of his principal followers. This being done, I and my
staff both felt that the crisis was over, that the Farazi opposition to vaccination was a thing
of the past.
A curious local superstition.
While touring in this district the villagers have often told me with great earnestness
that one of their objections to vaccination was this :—
That they had among them an Imam Mehndi, who was
to be their future ruler; that one of his peculiarities was that he had no blood in his
veins, that he had milk in his veins instead; knowing this and wishing to seize him,
Government had instituted vaccination as a means by which he might be identified, because
the man from whose punctured arm milk flowed, instead of blood, must be Imam Mehndi;
and that as soon as he was discovered, he would be taken away and handed over to the author-
ities ! This foolish tale was firmly believed by the villagers, and stood in the way of their
submitting to vaccination.
Results of the tour.
The great result of the tour has been that all opposition to vaccination has become a
thing of the past, and that from November 1895 to
February 1896 (a period of four months) we have vaccinated
36,240 Ferazi Mussalmans, including the High Priest's family; and all the leading Moulvis,
Munshis, Hajis, and Kalifas of the district. I have personally seen 471 of the leading men
vaccinated, but great numbers besides have received vaccination at the hands of the sub-
inspectors and vaccinators.
Of the 471 leading men vaccination by me or in my presence—
Total ...
10
80
102
279
471
were
Moulvis.
were
Munshis.
were
Hajis.
were
Kalifas.
Table showing work done.
The following table will show at a glance what work has
been done.
Monthly total of vaccination performed among the Ferazi Mussalmans, Faridpur.
1
A.—MADARIPUR SUBDIVISION.
1. Madaripur thana
...
† 2. Shibchar thana ...
† 3. Palong thana ...
* 4. Kotwalipara thana ...
5. Gopalganj thana ...
B.—SADAR SUBDIVISION.
1. Faridpur thana ...
† 2. Bhangha thana ...
3. Ainpur thana ...
4. Muksudpur thana ...
Total ...
1895.
November.
2
67
782
482
147
47
393
987
142
163
3,210
December.
3
659
3,123
1,691
88
290
360
1,340
451
540
8,542
1896.
‡ January.
4
918
3,053
2,745
71
521
320
3,523
521
420
12,092
February.
5
1,624
2,673
2,226
230
369
667
3,282
424
901
12,396
Thana
totals.
6
3,268
9,631
7,144
536
1,227
1,740
9,132
1,538
2,024
36,240
* There are very few Ferazis in this thana.
† Most Ferazis to be found in these thanas.
‡ This was the "Rojah" month among the Mussalmans, hence the work done is less than it otherwise would have been.