68
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS OF CIVIL SURGEONS.
Shahabad.
Buxar.
Shahabad.—Dr. Thornton reports that three vaccinators are employed at
Arrah throughout the year ; two are paid Rs. 10 a month by Government, and
one the same amount by the Municipality.
One man was employed by
the Municipality of Sasseram for four months (November to February), and one
by the Municipality of Jugdispore for six months (November to April); both
these men received Rs. 10 a month. At Buxar operations are conducted by a
vaccinator receiving Rs. 10 a month under the supervision of Assistant Surgeon
R. T. Wright, M.D. Five inoculators, instructed by this officer, worked in different
parts of the sub-division and performed 151 vaccinations. It does not appear that
their work was inspected, nor is the amount of fee charged by them specified.
Twenty inoculators have been instructed in vaccination by Dr. Wright ; one
man was found to practise inoculation, and three of the cases inoculated by
him proved fatal. He was arrested and tried, but acquitted. Operations are con-
fined to the stations of Arrah, Jugdispore and Sasseram, and the adjoining
villages, and all are directed and frequently inspected by the Civil Surgeon. The
results have been satisfactory. Nothing was done at Doomraon or Bhubooah,
but it is hoped to commence work in these places next season. At Arrah, Jugdis-
pore and Sasseram, the people accept vaccination willingly; elsewhere they are
averse to the practice, and inoculation is still very generally practised in the
interior of the district. The practice has been prohibited by the several
municipalites under the operation of the Municipal Act.
Dr. Thornton gives the following interesting information regarding the
result of his efforts to instruct inoculators :—
Training of inocu-
lators.
Amount of work
done by them.
In consequence of the prohibition of inoculation in the municipal towns, a number of
inoculators have been thrown out of employment. Efforts have been made to induce these
men to adopt vaccination, and 14 of them have this year (1871-72) consented to do so.
After having received instruction in the principles and practice of vaccination, they performed
a number of vaccinations in my presence, and were then furnished with supplies of vaccine
lymph and certificates of their ability to vaccinate, and they have since been practising
vaccination on their own account in different parts of the district. They were directed to
report their proceedings, and, if possible, to show some of their work at short intervals to the
nearest medical officer; but it is evident that this can only be done when the men are
practising in the immediate vicinity of a station. It will be seen from the accompanying
annual returns that 369 vaccinations were performed by converted inoculators in and
around the town of Arrah, and 204 vaccinations at Jugdispore. Many of these cases were
inspected, and the work was found to be tolerably good; so that on the whole this may be
considered a satisfactory result. It is probable that other vaccine operations may have been
performed by converted inoculators, whose homes were in remote parts of the district, and
who therefore did not report their proceedings. There is reason to hope that in the ensuing
cold season many other inoculators may be induced to adopt the practice of vaccination.
Small-pox.
There was no epidemic of small-pox in the district during the year 1871-72.
Isolated cases were reported from time to time, but some of these on inspection proved to
be chicken-pox.
The following table exhibits an analysis of the prisoners in the Shahabad jail as
regards small-pox, inoculation, &c.
Vaccine census.
Class of persons examined
Prisoners in
the Shaha
bad jail ...
Males ...
Females..
Total
...
Number
examin-
ed.
415
20
435
Inocu-
lated.
210
2
212
Per cent
of total
examin-
ed.
50.6
10.0
48.7
Vacci-
nated.
9
...
9
Per cent
of total
examin-
ed.
2.16
...
2.06
Had
small-
pox.
184
16
200
Per cent.
of total
examin-
ed.
44.34
80.0
45.9
Unpro-
tected.
12
2
14
Per cent.
of total
examin-
ed.
2.89
10.0
3.21
REMARKS.
Civil, under-trial, and
convicted prisoners
are all included un¬
der the two heads of
male and female.
From this it will be seen that more than half of the male prisoners had been inoculated,
but only about two per cent. of them vaccinated. This shows what very small progress has
been made as yet by vaccination with regard to the great bulk of the population of this
district.