56
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS OF CIVIL SURGEONS.
gratis, and that, moreover, the vaccinators were paid Government servants. On the actual
position of the vaccinators being explained, then the question of the amount of fee to be
paid for each case remained to be dealt with. The vaccinators stated that, in former years,
they were paid four annas for each boy, and two annas for each girl; but the villagers
replied, and I think with truth, that no such nirrick ever existed; that the small-pox
inoculators were paid partly by money and partly in kind, and that each man paid accord-
ing to his means.
'' In two large Mahomedan villages near Keshpore, where upwards of 200 children had
been vaccinated, the villagers themselves, on my visiting the place, requested me to settle the
matter. I declined to interfere; but suggested that the vaccinators should submit the
question to a punchayet formed of the leading men amongst the villagers, and the matter
was subsequently adjusted in that way.
Re distribution of
areas
" 8. The magistrate has suggested that a re-distribution of the areas in which the men
worked during the past season should be effected, and that the thannahs of the district
should form the basis of such re-distribution. Mr. Harrison thinks that a vaccinator, with
one or two assistants, should be attached to each police station, and in this opinion I cordi-
ally concur. Such an arrangement would favor the formation of a more regular system
than at present obtains. The work of supervision would be facilitated, the officer in charge
of the thannah without interfering in any way with the vaccinators, would be in a position
to ascertain from time to time whether the work was being regularly carried out; and in
cases where Government may decide upon giving a retaining fee, the vaccinators could be
paid through the police office rendering it unnecessary for the men to waste time in coming
into the sudder station for their monthly pay.
" 9. Before concluding this portion of the report, I would ask the Inspector-General
to recommend Government to sanction for another season the expenditure* incurred during
the past year. Although I had expected more satisfactory results, yet, if the difficulties
we have had to contend with be taken into consideration, the results obtained may be more
leniently viewed.
The epidemic outbreak of fever frequently demanded my presence
in other quarters of the district; and, moreover, the outbreak of small-pox at Moyna pre-
vented my devoting to the proceedings of the newly trained men, the time and supervision
which they required, and which I flatter myself would have enabled me to report greater
progress, and furnish more definite information than I am enabled to do on this occasion.
Operations at Dhan
tore, Debrah, &c.
"10. Return marked B shows the number vaccinated by instructing vaccinator
Digambur Chuckerbutty, and the five men trained by him during the past season. The
operations were commenced under my personal supervision about the end of November,
and I remained with the party for about a week. We commenced operations in the
village of Dhantore, and here I was obliged to reject fully one-third of the children as
unfit to be operated on owing to the grave extent they had suffered from fever. After
visiting some other villages in the vicinity of Debrah, I ordered the party to proceed
towards Subung, and work in the villages in that neighbourhood, and to return to Debrah
later on in the season, when it was to be hoped that the public health would have improved.
I was not able to see much of this party before the end of January, when I found them in
full work in the neighbourhood of Pingelah. The men under training had, in the meantime,
become pretty expert operators; and as they were anxious to commence working in their
own villages before the close of the season, early in February each man was provided
with a lancet and a copy of Dr. Charles' Bengalee pamphlet on vaccination, and com-
menced working under the immediate superintendence of the vaccinator who had instructed
them.
Disputes regarding
defined areas
" 11. Frequent disputes occurred amongst these men, as the number of villages that
each man was entitled to work in had never been defined accurately, if at all. In consultation
with the magistrate, I hope to be able to definitely arrange the number of villages each
man should work in, not alone at this place, but throughout the district, the basis of
the re-distribution being the thannah divisions. All these men can read and write, and
seem active and intelligent, but necessity for constant supervision is very obvious ; and
to ensure the success of this system it will have to be continued for many years to come,
if, indeed, it can ever be with safety abandoned.
Other inoculators.
" 12. Four inoculators from Ghattal and Chunderkona came into Midnapore and
remained for some weeks under the instruction of the municipal vaccinator. No operations
were performed by these men owing to the bad state of the public health in the quarter
of the district where they reside.
* Minus the price of the tent, i. e., Rs. 300.