ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS OP CIVIL SURGEONS.
51
Inspection by the
Government vac-
cinator
"To some of the places not inspected by me in the interior the Government vaccinator
was deputed to do the work. I have every confidence in him, and feel satisfied that he
has performed the duty strictly, as he is very scrupulous in giving a man the benefit of
a doubt, particularly to an ex-inoculator.
Examples of bad
vaccination
" Operations were for a time suspended at Bissenpore in March, owing to the lymph
having degenerated; this can only be accounted for by the fact that the people of this place
are in a bad state of health, and the weather had become suddenly and unusually hot for
the season of the year. Lymph being procured from genuine vesicles in the adjoining
villages, work was commenced afresh with increased vigour as it does not pay for the
instructed inoculators to be idle.
''Had strict supervision not been exercised, these men would have gone on with this
spurious matter to the discredit of vaccination, as the first outbreak of small-pox would
prove.
'' In December last, 141 people were reported to have been vaccinated by Modusoodun,
an ex-inoculator, the majority were said to have been successful; travelling over 32 miles of
country from village to village through the jungles, I found that there were but three
successful cases, Modusoodun of course made himself scarce, and has avoided me carefully
ever since.
Necessity for super-
vision.
''Instances of this kind clearly show the absolute necessity for systematic supervision.
The work of these men require close looking after, not only to prevent the possibility of
their bringing vaccination into disgrace, but to ensure correct returns of their work being
regularly submitted.
Work of 1872-73,
compared
with
the two preceding
years.
" 4. The progress made in vaccination, as compared with the two preceding years, is
tabulated for ready reference:—
YEAR.
1870-71
...
...
...
1871-72
...
...
...
1872-73
...
...
...
By Govern-
ment
vaccinator.
224
1,505
2,390
By muni-
cipal
vaccinator.
......
......
683
By instructed
inoculators.
125
1,423
10,460
Total.
349
2,928
13,533
Successful.
160
2,352
11,053
Unsuccessful.
189
576
2,480
" The average amount of operations performed by the 46 vaccinators at work, including
the six men deputed as pioneers to the north, was, it will be seen, 294.19, and the percentage
of success in primary vaccinations, 81.68. Excluding the operations on the north, where
six men were engaged, and little or no work done, the average number vaccinated by each
man in the defined areas amounts to 334.45 against 292.8 in 1871-72.
Percentage of suc-
cess.
" The percentage of success in primary vaccinations by instructed inoculators in the
defined areas has improved, 84.94 against 79.19 in 1871-72. This, though fair, falls far short
of what I had anticipated. I trust it will not occur again.
" The dispensary vaccinator, I regret to observe, has been particularly unsuccessful; he
worked most persistently, much against my wishes, during seasons of the year when success
was not to be expected; again, he had the testing of the tube lymph received from Calcutta;
all failed, and they were registered to his account. Under these circumstances, and taking
into consideration that he has performed 1,689 successful operations single-handed, in
addition to the work imposed on him of establishing and supervising instructed inoculators,
I think he might be exonerated from blame, particularly as I am convinced that he will
do better next season.
Work of instructed
inoculators fair
" The work done by instructed inoculators has been fair, and the results, though far
below that obtained by special establishments, may be considered satisfactory under the
circumstances, as the men are new to the work and have much to contend with in intro-
ducing vaccination where inoculation has been the practice.
" Excluding the work done by the Government and municipal vaccinators, and the men
employed in the north, the instructed inoculators working in the defined area have on an
average performed 271 operations against 158 in 1871-72.