SONTHAL PERGUNNAHS.
45
reasonable, would be but of little avail in overcoming the fondness of a rude and barbar-
ous people for time-honored customs. They see Government vaccinators at work among
them, and are at once led to believe that inoculation has been stopped. They therefore think
it dangerous to oppose these men and in many cases yield without much opposition.
An impression pre-
valent that inocu-
lation has been
prohibited.
Inoculators also are under this impression, and I am inclined to think that wherever
they have come forward for vaccination, they have felt the necessity for doing so. They
are afraid of carrying on their old practice for fear of being detected, and have therefore
no alternative left but to take to vaccination. It is on this account too that wherever in-
oculation is heard of, it is found to be carried on most cautiously and secretly; and that were
it not for the outbreaks of small-pox to which they have given rise and the rapid progress
of vaccination, the few instances that I have mentioned would scarcely have come to light.
This impression, therefore, has helped the spread of vaccination a great deal, and it is
not our business, uncalled for, to disabuse the minds of the people of it.
But a false impression can never be expected to last long. The spell must somehow
or other be broken; and the re-action to which that would give rise might be productive
of dangerous consequences to the cause of vaccination. Symptoms of this are even now percep-
tible. There are people, especially Hindus and Mahomedans, who live in or near the towns,
who are shrewd enough to perceive the falsity of this impression. These men often attempt to
instigate the people to resist vaccination and to favour the old custom of inoculation. This
for instance in Koylabazaar, near Rajmehal town, we had made several attempts at the com-
mencement of the season to introduce vaccination, but failed, owing to the opposition of
the people who are composed chiefly of Mahomedans. They had subsequently called in
the services of an inoculator from a foreign district, whose operations had given rise to the
outbreak of small-pox mentioned above. But notwithstanding these evil effects, the people
would not feel disinclined to venerate their old custom and would not by any means be
persuaded to take vaccination. I then attempted by all manner of argument and per-
suation, to dissuade the inoculator from his practice and to win him over to our side, shew-
ing him the advantages vaccination had over inoculation and the rapid progress it was
making among the people; so much so that there was every likelihood of its soon entirely
superseding the latter and thereby destroying his practice. I, at the same time, gave him
hopes of making much more practice under our system, than he could ever possibly expect
to have in his old method. But he was too shrewd to yield to these persuasions. He per-
ceived that we were powerless to do anything for checking his practice, and though for the
time being he seemed to acquiesce in my sayings, yet by his subsequent conduct he seemed
to bid defiance to our efforts.
This is but one instance but yet its influence for mischief should never be underrated
It might deter other inoculators from coming over to our side as they should otherwise
have done, and it might lead the people to believe that there was nothing to prevent their
taking to their old custom.
A few such instances and there is every apprehension of the foundations of vaccina-
tion being shaken and our hold upon the people lost.
Recommends
the
extention of Act
IV of 1865, prohi-
biting inoculation.
All these dangers and drawbacks to vaccination could, I think," be prevented or
removed, by extending the act prohibiting inoculation, to these districts. Then inocula-
tors would be entirely disarmed and have no other alternative left but to come over to our
side, vaccination would have a firmer hold upon the people who would see no other resource,
and outbreaks of small-pox would be much less frequent than now. Thus vaccination
being freed from the clogs and encumbrances which now hinder its path would make rapid
progress and gradually become self-supporting.
Inoculators.
10. Inoculators.—I am happy to say that in accordance with the instructions con-
tained in Circular Memo. No. 130, dated the 23rd November 1870, from the office of
Inspector General of Hospital, Indian Medical Department, five inoculators have this year
been instructed in vaccination. Two of these viz; Bany Madhub Chuckerbuttee and Bycunt
Nath Banerjea have been from the previous year, and three, viz; Ramrutton Mundel,
Shamlall Jaduputia, and Meghroy Manjhee, came in this year. The first three belong to
Rajmehal, and the last two to Pakour sub-division. The first two are Bengali brahmins,
the third and fourth low caste Bengalis, and the last one is a Sonthal. All of these were
supplied by me with vaccine crusts after having been instructed ; and the first two with
lancets, the rest having been told to show some work before they were to get lancets. They
were also furnished with written instructions from me to carry on work wherever I should
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