Seventh annual report of the Darjeeling Circle of
Vaccination,
By SURJEON MAJOR R. LIDDERDALE, M. D., Superintendent.
Establishment.
1. Establishment.—The vaccine establishment paid by Government continued as in the
year 1871-72. It consists of one superintendent, one deputy superintendent, seven native
superintendents, and forty-two vaccinators. At the beginning of the vaccinating season the
establishment was deficient in four native superintendents and twelve vaccinators; one
native superintendent and twelve vaccinators having deserted from dispensaries to which
they were attached as compounders or having failed to join them when ordered to do so.
One native superintendent had been put in jail in Julpigoree for cheating the vaccinators
out of their pay, and two had been dismissed for misconduct.
Employment of vac-
cinators as com-
pounders objected
to.
The establishment began work therefore in a thoroughly crippled condition, and I fear
will continue yearly to be placed in similar unfortunate circumstances as long as vaccinators
continue to be employed in dispensaries as compounders. For this work they appear to
entertain the deepest aversion, and even when they do not sacrifice their appointments by
desertion, they are discontented and consequently work badly. When in dispensaries they are
employed at a reduced rate of pay side by side with servants at the full rate. This they
look upon as a hardship and unfair treatment at the hands of the Government. It also
places them in an inferior position to the ordinary menial servants of the institution.
The only advantage attaching to this measure is that, in case of small-pox breaking
out, vaccinators are at hand to undertake its suppression. This can be attained by other
means with almost equal certainty. The value of vaccinators as compounders must be
little better than nominal.
Difficulty in recruit-
ing establishment.
To complete the establishment of native superintendents I tried to obtain trained men
from the Presidency, but the well-known unhealthy nature of the climate was too much
feared, and the increase of pay even failed to bring forward a single man. I then turned
to the North West Provinces and four men accepted service, but two of them suffered so
severely from the climate as to be quite unfit for duty, one of the two deserting early in
January. The third man neglected his duty and has been dismissed, the fourth did excel-
lent service.
Suitable men as vaccinators were procured with great difficulty. The Purneah gang
was not completed till January, and then by an utterly unfit man whose eyesight was
defective and who had to be got rid of.
Vaccine operations
in the Darjeeling
Hills.
Ratio of success.
Causes of non-suc-
cess.
2. Darjeeling Hills.— Vaccine operations in February and March were carried on at
low elevations gradually ascending as the weather got hotter. In April a false alarm of
small-pox on the Hope Town spur induced a large number of coolies to accept vaccination
who would otherwise have been indifferent. An outbreak of cholera of great severity in
May and June completely stopped all further operations on the southern face of the hills
except on one tea garden, and materially affected their number which, however, did not
fall short of the previous year. The ratio of success has been 86.21. This is a low rate,
but to describe the habits of the people as dirty, is but a feeble indication of their real state.
Their mode of employment working in the sun and rain either in coarse blanket-clothing
or none as in the case of the Lepchas and Bhooteahs, or in jackets fitting skin tight as the
Nepalese, causes great injury to vaccination when in the vesicular stage. Except among
Lepchas and Bhooteahs little permanent protection is afforded in these hills from the migra-
tory habits of the Nepalese, who work on tea gardens one season and go elsewhere the
following one. Cholera frightened so many away that tea gardens formerly fairly vacci-
nated are now almost unprotected, the fresh immigrants too being much more difficult to
deal with than residents of a year or two.
Julpigoree.
3. Julpigoree.—The work was commenced in extension of that of previous years, and
part of the area allotted was protected.
Causes of failure.
The vaccinators had several times to be removed to different places on account of
outbreaks of small-pox which interfered with the object in view, which is, the creation of a
large vaccinated area to the south of the Titalya and Julpigoree road lying between the
Teesta and Kurtoo rivers. The illness of the native superintendent also interfered with
the general regularity of the work. He fell sick immediately on arrival in the end of
October, and after treatment in the local dispensary gained strength enough to desert to his