xxii
GENERAL REPORT.
Cooch Behar divi-
sion.
Cooch Bahar division.—Darjeeling and Julpigoree are in the Darjeeling
circle, and regarding vaccination in the State of Cooch Behar I have no inform-
ation.
Dacca division.
Dacca division.—A good commencement of systematic vaccination has
been made in the district of Dacca, and this will in time extend into the
neighbouring districts. Meantime all that can be done in these is to estab-
lish as many centres of good vaccination in municipalities, dispensary stations,
and in the tea gardens in Cachar and Sylhet as possible.
Chittagong division.
Chittagong division.—The districts of this division would come under the
second principle of paragraph 6 of the extract. A grant for the promotion
of vaccination by indigenous agency has been made to the Civil Surgeon of
the hill tracts. Inoculation has not been prohibited at Chittagong or Noa-
khally.
Patna division.
Patna division.—Vaccination is making some progress in all the districts
of this division, and in some, inoculators are coming forward to be taught
vaccination. It will become necessary eventually, I doubt not, to organise a
circle for Behar with Patna as its centre, but I hesitate to recommend its
formation until the Dacca circle has been more fairly established and until it
appears whether the indigenous agency cannot be turned to account.
Bhaugulpore divi-
sion
Bhaugulpore division.—The employment of inoculators is promising in
Monghyr, Bhaugulpore, and Sonthal Pergunnahs. The movement must be
carefully fostered, and its development watched and guided. I think the Civil
Surgeon should be aided in each- case by one or more vaccine inspectors. Pur-
neah belongs to the Darjeeling circle.
Orissa division.
Orissa division.—Vaccination is very backward, and all that can be done
at present is to render municipal and dispensary vaccinations as good as pos-
sible.
Chota Nagpore divi-
sion.
Chota Nagpore division.—I have already commented sufficiently on the
vaccine arrangements of the Chota Nagpore District.
Assam.
Assam.—The same remarks apply as to Orissa.
It must be remembered, however, that systematic and exhaustive vaccin-
ation depends largely on the spontaniety of the people, and that in many towns
and districts it cannot positively be accomplished. It should nevertheless be
held in view as an aim to be realized when possible.
Small-pox.
65. Small-pox.—The year 1872-73 was not remarkable for the epidemic
spread of small-pox. The disease was not absent from any district. As
might almost be foretold, with a system of inoculation—very general and by
no means simultaneous or exhaustive, in existence over the greater part of the
area of the province, the manifestations of the disease consisted rather of
sporadic outbreaks lighted up by inoculation and affecting the unprotected and
badly protected of a locality ; limited at the same time in extent and duration
by the general state of protection which the people enjoy—than of a severe
or wide-spread plague. The year appears, moreover, to have been a non-epi-
demic year—to have lacked those unascertained peculiarities which favor the
prevalence of diseases prone to affect masses. Still, in the aggregate, there
must have been a large number of deaths from small-pox—victims of the direct
and indirect evils of inoculation. In an epidemic year the small and limited
outbreaks which prevailed in many parts of most districts would have over-
stepped the bounds of protection and developed into great plagues. The notes
recorded by Civil Surgeons go to show that the people of Bengal have ever among
them the seeds of pestilence, and it will be so as long as inoculation prevails
among them unchecked. At the same time it is fair to add that in ordinary
years the same practice ensures the immunity of a large majority of the people