4
Vaccination as a measure for prevention of small-pox has proved its
efficacy beyond all doubt and the Vaccination Acts, enforcing compulsory
vaccination, have been introduced in all Municipal towns and other important-
places—like Dhanbad—where life is considered more important and objections
to its application are considered to be comparatively few. Opposition to vacci-
nation has also gone down considerably, and I do not see much difference
between the opposition offered by the urban and the rural populations. Opposi¬
tion is now shown not so much to vaccination as to vaccination of an infant
before twelve months of age.
The attitude of the people towards vaccination in urban and rural areas
being almost the same, I agree with my predecessor in recommending that
benefits of the Vaccination Acts be extended to rural areas of the province in
the same way as they have been extended to urban areas by making them
compulsory throughout the province.
9. Inspection of work.—During the year under report the Deputy Sanitary
Commissioners inspected 79,610 primary vaccinations as against 155,456 in the
previous year. The decline, in the number of vaccinations inspected, is due to
the fact that there was no Deputy Sanitary Commissioner in the South Bihar
Circle, for vaccination work.
The inspecting work done during the year by the Deputy Sanitary
Commissioners has been comprehensive and valuable. They have submitted
reports on the efficiency of the staff and the arrangements of work in 15
districts of the province. Action is being taken on these reports in each case.
The Civil Surgeons of the province inspected 52,467 primary and 6,907
revaccination operations against 65,694 primary and 6,385 revaccination
last year. According to the existing system of inspection, vaccinated
children are collected from villages, falling in a radius of about five or six
miles, at places two or three miles apart, on the road through which the
inspecting officer travels. The system of requiring vaccinated children to be
brought to fixed places for inspection in an area where Vaccination Act is
not compulsory, is illegal; and villagers generally resent in bringing their
children for inspection, as the Civil Surgeon of Muzaffarpur remarks that
" the system of thorough inspection of the work done in the rural areas has
suffered by the spirit of independence pervading villagers— resulting in number
of children not being produced—even for short distances for the Civil Surgeon's
personal inspection." It is not possible for Civil Surgeons to pay more
attention to the vaccination work as Major M. H. Thornely, I.M.S., the Civil
Surgeon of Cuttack, points out that " the multifarious nature of the duties of
the Civil Surgeon of Cuttack renders it quite impossible for him to give the
time and attention necessary for directing and supervising the vaccination
work of this large district with its difficulties of communication."
The officers of the subordinate inspecting staff are not trained, nor suffi-
ciently paid to attract better class of men. They cannot, therefore, be trusted
much. The only other agency for inspection is that of the Deputy Sanitary
Commissioners. Their number is, however, limited to three only for the whole
province which is evidently not enough for thorough and detailed inspection of
the work in the villages. It does not appear to me possible, therefore, that
without increasing the superior inspecting staff, the efficiency of the work
can be improved very much.
In this connection I would recommend that. the creation of the district
sanitary service which has been lately proposed by Government may be taken
up early.
10. Supply of Vaccine.—The Vaccine Depôt at Namkum supplied the
province with vaccine throughout the year.