74
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS OF CIVIL SURGEONS.
"It may be said they only work for about three months and-a-half, viz., December,
January, February and part of March.
" Perhaps, the chief cause of this may be due to the habits and employments of the
people. In October and November great numbers are engaged in the fields cutting rice and
sowing wheat, barley, rye, &c., and in March the latter crops have to be reaped.
"For reasons already given, small-pox must, no doubt, be constantly more or less in
the district, but fortunately is seldom heard of in an epidemic form.
Deaths from small-
pox.
"From the mortuary returns for 1872 it appears that a total of 160 deaths from small-
pox took place, equal to 1 in about 11,000 inhabitants. It would be fortunate, if this
represented the true death-rate. In the municipality five and in the district 155 deaths were
returned.
Deaths according to
season.
" In the district, January and February accounted for five and six deaths, respectively.
The disease was most fatal in the months of April, May, June and July, during which
period 135 of the 155 deaths occurred. The greatest mortality, viz., 41, took place in
April. There were no deaths in September and October, and only one in December.
Number vaccinated
during the year.
"Taking into consideration the irregular and, to a great extent, uncontrolled agency
employed in district vaccination, I think, on the whole, the results may be considered so far
satisfactory.
"The returns of the year under report show a considerable increase, compared with the
previous season, 12,531 against 10,303. Even allowing that this number has been properly
vaccinated, protection in this way will have been afforded to only a very small proportion
of the inhabitants. With a population of 1,812,986, and calculating the birth-rate at 30
per 1,000, it would be necessary to make provision for the vaccination of about 54,000
children.
" With a sufficient grant of funds for the encouragement of the converted inoculators,
and a proper staff of trained vaccinators, in order to supervise their work, I am of opinion
that a great deal of good work might be done. In addition to the private fees, these men
receive, I really think that they should be encouraged at first by some definite remuneration
from Government. When the prejudices of the people are fairly overcome, and vaccination
so generally accepted, and means for its performance provided, so that it would justify
Government in introducing the inoculation Act into the district, then the vaccinating ino-
culators might be left to support themselves by fees alone, in the same manner as they did
when they practised inoculation. Until that time arrives, I think, as proposed in my letter
referred to in a previous part of this report, that a fixed allowance by Government of, say,
Rs. 2 per mensem should be paid to all the men receiving due authority to practise vaccina-
tion and doing approved work."
Bhaugulpore
dis-
trict.
Bhaugulpore District—Dr. Baillie reports as follows :—
" Vaccination by vaccinators and others attached to dispensaries has not been more
successful than in previous years. It is true that a vaccinator attached to Mudehpoorah
dispensary reports 108 cases, but as the native doctor in charge explains, " the aid of the
police and deputy magistrate was obtained."
Recruiting inocula-
tors.
"Seeing how entirely unsuccessful this mode of vaccination has proved, I have en-
deavoured for some years past to enlist the services of the inoculators for the purpose ; and
this season, with the assistance afforded by the magistrate, have induced a number of them
to undertake to vaccinate instead of inoculating.
Proposals regarding
them.
" The proposals I made to the magistrate were, that inoculation should be discouraged
in every possible way, while, the men who were willing to vaccinate, should be assisted by
being furnished with purwannahs, and supported by the countenance of deputy magistrates
and the police ; if they wished it, they were supplied with lymph in form of crusts, but they
were permitted to use their own needles, and to vaccinate in precisely the same way as
they inoculate on the fore-arm in boys and upper arms in girls; they were offered no pay,
but they were permitted to make their own arrangements with the people in the way they
are in the habit of doing when inoculating ; the only condition imposed on them was, that
they should make a return of the number of persons vaccinated to me at the end of the
season, and they were sent to those parts of the district where they were known.
" To obtain some check on their proceedings, if necessary, the police were called on
to obtain from the chowkidars of each village returns of the number of persons operated