76
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS OF CIVIL SURGEONS.
Feelings of the peo-
ple
" As to the feeling of the people, I believe there is a considerable change among
them in the town in this respect since the commencement of the season, and less unwilling
to submit their children for vaccination than formerly; indeed, their objection to it, as I have
frequently found, is not to vaccination only, or a preference for inoculation, but an indifference
to both, and an anxiety that their children should go through an attack of small-pox itself
while young, in the belief that it is the best means of securing their future immunity
from it; as a rule, the upper classes, and those living in towns, are less willing to avail them-
selves of vaccination than villages ; thus, at Colgong, where small-pox has been worse than
anywhere else, the people have repeatedly refused to adopt it; at Banka, Mudehpoorah and
Soopole, the head-quarters of sub-divisions, the same thing has occurred, and still less has
been done at Sunbursa, where the chief zemindar, after being repeatedly requested to assist
the vaccinators, and having promised to do so by having his own children vaccinated, is
stated to have caused them recently to be inoculated. On the other hand, a pleader in the
town gave good assistance by collecting and causing a number of children to be vaccinated.
personal inspection.
" In a district more than 200 miles in length personal inspection of cases must be
necessarily very limited, but as far as opportunity offered, I have endeavoured to do so. I
have thus seen cases at Mudehpoorah and Soopole, and several villages between these, also
at villages around Banka, at Colgong and Peerpointee, besides constant inspection in the
town of Bhaugulpore and the municipal district around it. The sub-assistant surgeon and
native doctor attached to the police have also been required to inspect it, and the native
doctors in charge of dispensaries in the district.
" As from the persons employed it was very improbable that accurate returns would
be forthcoming,—those asked for were in the simplest form possible,—the particulars as
regards sex, age and caste of persons vaccinated by the inoculators are not, therefore, avail-
able."
Sonthal Pergunnahs
Sonthal Pergunnahs District.—Dr. L. Cameron furnishes the following information
regarding the proceedings of the brahmin inoculators, who were induced by Dr. Chandra
to adopt vaccination as their profession:—
Deoghur
Brahmin inoculators
" 1. Deoghur.—Vaccination
was carried on in parts of the sub-division by the aid of
the old brahmin inoculators. These men, for the most part, permanently reside in the sub-
division. Their number amounts to 20 ; and, in some instances, they are assisted in their
operations by members of their families. The number of operations performed during
the period embraced by the return was 3,435. The work was principally carried on within
the areas vaccinated over in previous years; but in some instances new connections were
formed in some parts of the sub-division which had not previously been visited.
"Two additional men, who consented to abandon inoculation, were late in the season
supplied with crusts, and set to work in the southern parts of the sub-division. These men
were not able to do much. They have promised to return again in the cold season.
Falling off in the
number of opera¬
tions, cause ex-
plained
" There is a considerable falling off in the number of persons vaccinated, as compared
with last year. Operations were late in being commenced. Two vaccinators were with-
drawn in December from Deoghur to render assistance in the Chandwa talook of the Bhau-
gulpore district, where small-pox was prevailing at the time. One of these men formed a
very good connection there, having vaccinated upwards of 1,000 persons.* These causes
tended to retard operations in Deoghur.
Doomka.
" 2. Doomka.—Here, at a late period of the season, four inoculators came forward to
ask for crusts. One alleged as his reason for giving up inoculation, that he could not live
by it. Reports were only received from one of these. He vaccinated 335 persons, when he
had to give up work in consequence of the heat. He has promised to return again in the
cold season.
Godda.
" 3. Godda.—Here, also, at a late period of the season, two men were supplied with
crusts. No reports have as yet been received, but it is expected that later on they will be
forthcoming.
Rajmehal.
" 4. Rajmehal.—Vaccination
is carried on here by Government agency under a deputy
superintendent, by whom a separate report will be submitted.
" It is rather remarkable that the operations shown in the return should have been
almost uniformly successful. Since joining the district, I have not been able to inspect any
of the work, and can consequently say nothing as to the efficiency of the protection against
* Not inlcuded in the return.