NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
8
DARJEELING CIRCLE
saw some sixty successful cases on the date of my visit, the 18th. Some
of the people told me that they were glad to have a vaccinator among
them, and one man, who had lost two children by inoculated small-pox,
inveighed very bitterly against inoculators.
24. On the 20th, I inspected at Pranuggur the work of the vacci-
nator attached to the Beergunge Thannah; he was working very fairly
with a good vesicle: I saw some ninety successful cases; he had had no
difficulty, assisted by the Native Superintendent, in commencing opera-
tions, and there was no general opposition manifested by the people.
25. I went to Hubbra on the 27th December. The vaccinator
here was a newly-trained man who had been stationed at the place a
few days before my visit. He had made, after some solicitation, a few
vaccinations; but the people refused to submit to any more until they
should have seen the result of the first cases.
26. It was much the same state of things at Gungarampore, which
place I visited on the 1st January. The vaccinator had been only a
few days there; but he had established a genuine vesicle, and the people
promised to accept vaccination as soon as they had satisfied themselves
that no ill-effects need be apprehended.
27. I inspected the work at Nawabgunge on the 10th January.
The vaccinator, who had been placed there early in December, had failed
completely at first, and it was not until the Native Superintendent
joined him, that a beginning was made: only forty-three successful vaccina-
tions were reported in December. At the time of my visit, the first fears
of the people had been got over, and I inspected some successful work in
the villages near the Thannah, but the vaccinator was working slowly.
28. As the season advanced, the vaccinators made, on the whole,
fair progress; but with one exception, none succeeded in making three
hundred successful vaccinations in a month, and the general average
was a little over two hundred; however, as in this district last year,
the average was below one hundred, a satisfactory advance has been
made. The native Superintendent, though from the first he suffered
severely from fever, attended closely to his duties during the season.
29. From Nawabgunge I continued my march into the Bogra
district. The vaccinators had commenced work in November, with
lymph sent them by post. There were at first four vaccinators, posted
at the Thannahs—Sherepore, Alumdiggee, Gobindgunge, and Khetloll;
later in the season, a newly-trained man was appointed to Budulgachee.
OF VACCINATION.
9
30. The first vaccinator I visited was at Khetloll. He had been
transferred to this place from Bogra early in December, and had made
but forty-four successful vaccinations in that month, the people never
having seen the operation before. When I arrived on the 12th Janu-
ary, he had but very few recent cases to show me, and his diary
proved him guilty of idleness. On my going into the villages in
the neighbourhood, the people did not manifest to me any dislike
for vaccination that might not have been overcome by a little tact.
They told me that the vaccinator had visited them, but that they were
too busy with the rice harvest to attend to him, and they assured me
that, after gathering in the crop, they would accept his services. I
learned that the Native Superintendent, who had been compelled to
hasten on to Rajshahye, had not had time to visit this station;
and this partly accounted for the vaccinator's backwardness, but there
could be no doubt that he had not exerted himself properly; and he
was warned, that unless favorably reported on by the Native Superin-
tendent he should lose his situation.
31. I reached Sherepore on the 18th January. Here, where
I had for a long time failed to make any impression the year before
I found the vaccinator working very well with a good vesicle: I inspect-
ed many of his cases, but I found them in villages at some distance
from the town, the inhabitants of which remained as prejudiced as
ever against the operation.
32. On the 21st I inspected the work of the Alumdiggie vaccina-
tor at Doobcheechee. He was not doing as much as my last year's
success at this place had led me to expect, and his records were ill-kept
and irregular; but the vesicle was a good one, and the people were
well disposed, if the vaccinator only exerted himself properly. He
was duly cautioned on this point.
33. The vaccinator at Gobindgunge, originally an inoculator,
was discovered to be a ganjah-smoker; he was removed, and a newly-
trained man appointed, whose work I inspected on my return from
Rajshahye. This was a new station, and the people were timid at first;
but, at the time of my visit, a fair amount of success had been attained.
34. In the course of the season, the vaccinators in this district
worked up to the average. The Khetloll and Doobcheechee men were
more energetic after my visit, and the Native Superintendent who visited
them constantly, reported well of both. In this, as in the other districts
also, I hope to be able to retain the vaccinators permanently at their
2
10
DARJEELING CIRCLE
respective stations : though it seems a small matter, the people dislike
having a man removed with whom they have once become familiar, and
are slow in employing a stranger.
35. I marched from Bogra to the Rajshahye district. Things had
not gone well here early in the season. Supplies of lymph had been
sent to the vaccinators in November by post, but it failed in their
hands, and their report of this failure did not reach me. The Native
Superintendent fell ill at Bogra, and was detained there many days
under treatment; and when he reached Rajshahye, towards the end of
December, the vaccinators were doing nothing. This was a very
unfortunate delay, but it cannot occur again, as henceforward the Native
Superintendents will be in their districts at the commencement of the
season. It was not until shortly before my arrival that the vaccinators
got properly to work.
36. The five vaccinators of this district were posted at the
following Thannahs—Singra, Pootea, Charghat, Nattore, and Godagaree,
and at the three first-named, vaccination had not been practised before.
37. On the 25th January I reached Singra, and found the vac-
cinator absolutely idle. A large river-side population exists here, and
before my arrival, the Native Superintendent had reported to me his
inability to influence them to any extent. He had succeeded in making
a few vaccinations at a village in the vicinity, and he had trusted that,
a beginning having been made, the vaccinator would have been able
to go on with the work; but the man succumbed, more readily than he
should have done, to the opposition made, and I found, on inquiry, that
he had taken very little trouble to make the people acquainted with,
the objects of vaccination.
38. When I went among the people, many of the reasons for
deferring the operation, with which my first year's experience had fami-
liarized me, were put forward; but, after some discussion, several parents
promised to allow their children to be vaccinated immediately; the-
promise was kept, and, on my return, the vaccinator had made some
way. In the months of February and March, he made, the unwillingness
of the people being allowed for, more vaccinations than I expected,
though far below what other vaccinators in this district achieved.
39. The next vaccinator I visited was at work some five miles from
Nattore; he had been stationed in the same locality the previous year,
and I found him doing much more than any vaccinator I had hitherto
seen. The people here seemed thoroughly to appreciate the value of the
OF VACCINATION.
11
operation; they made no difficulty about arm to arm vaccination, and
took children quite willingly from one village to another, which is very
rarely permitted. The children of each of the villages I inspected were
brought to an appointed spot with a readiness I had not observed before,
and, as the names were called from the village Roll, I noticed an unusual
eagerness to have each child examined, and to hear my opinion as to
its being protected against small-pox.
40. The vaccinator at Pootea, whose work I inspected on the 28th
January, and who had been but a short time established there, had at-
tained very gratifying results also. Here too the people encouraged
arm to arm vaccination, and in consequence almost every case I saw
was successful.
41. Next day I inspected, in villages some six miles north of
Rampore Bauleah, the operations of the vaccinator attached to the
Charghat Thannah. He had endeavoured to get a footing in the villages
close by the Thannah at first, but, as the people refused his services, he
had asked permission to commence work in the villages where I found
him, and where he had been successful last year, and thence worked
towards the Thannah which was not very distant; he was doing extremely
well.
42. Passing through Rampore Bauleah, I marched towards God-
agaree where I expected to find the fifth vaccinator of the district; but,
on reaching Burgachee, on the 2nd February, I learned from the people,
that the vaccinator who had worked there and had made good progress
last year, had, shortly after commencing operations this season, been
taken ill, and had returned to Bauleah for treatment. The people told
me that they were glad to have a vaccinator among them; on returning
to Bauleah I went to see the vaccinator in question: I found him so ill
as to be unfit for work, and granted him a short leave, on the expiry of
which he resumed operations, and worked well until the close of the
season.
43. Though the vaccinators in Rajshahye were late in com-
mencing operations, they were more successful in point of numbers as
they were last year, than the men in any other district; the average
work being 280 in January, 398 in February, and 353 in March, for each
vaccinator. Towards the close of the season, I received from them some
hundreds of well formed crusts. It should be observed, that none of the.
Rajshahye vaccinators were previously practisers of inoculation, the
12
DARJEELING CIRCLE
Deputy Superintendent, as I mentioned in my first report, not having
succeeded in enrolling any of that class.
44. I left Rampore Bauleah on the 5th February, marching viâ
Bogra to Rungpore, which district I entered on the 17th February.
Five vaccinators were stationed in this district—a number utterly dispro-
portionate to its size—but more could not be spared. The stations occu-
pied by vaccinators were Boda, where I inspected early in the season,
Mygunge, Peergunge, Oleypore and Callygunge.
45. The vaccinator at Peergunge was the only one in my establish-
ment who attempted falsification of returns. The numbers in his Diary
I found to be in excess of those in the village Rolls. I saw in the villages,
that, in the earlier part of the season, he had done steady work with
genuine lymph, but latterly he had been idling; and when apprized of
my arrival, he had endeavoured to mislead me by a hurriedly written-
up diary. This man was dismissed, and it was too late in the season to
re-place him. The people thought well of vaccination, though they had
never seen it before, and a diligent man could have done much work
among them. Operations will be resumed here next season.
46. Marching on to Rungpore, I found the vaccinator at Mygunge
doing little, as he was suffering much from fever; a little later, I in-
spected his January work and found it genuine, and his papers accurate
and well kept: he was one of several vaccinators who had worked at this
place last season, and vaccination is fairly established among the people.
47. On the 26th February I inspected the work at Oleypore. The
first vaccinator who had been placed here, it was found necessary to dis-
miss, and his successor was working slowly, but with a genuine vesicle.
The Native Superintendent had some difficulty in conquering the dis-
inclinations of the people in the first instance, but no active opposition
was made. In the first month of his work, the vaccinator made but 176
successful operations, in the second, 188, and in the third, 302.
48. The last vaccinator to be visited in this district was at Kally-
gunge. This man had been sending in large returns with a suspicious-
ly high average of successful cases. I found, on inspecting his work,
that he had been very industrious, and that there was no reason to doubt
the correctness of the numbers of his " total vaccination," but he was
careless, and cases, which should have been classed as doubtful, were
returned successful. At the time of my visit, I saw over a hundred
recent cases, most of them doubtful, and there was no question but that
the man was working with uncertain lymph. The Native Superinten-
OF VACCINATION.
13
dent had noticed this before my arrival, and had sent for fresh virus
from the nearest station, Oleypore, but he was wrong in not stopping the
vaccinator's work until the new lymph had reached him.
49. The inhabitants of this place had accepted vaccination with
much apparent willingness and in large numbers, but it was not a good
sign of their interest in its success to see, that the elder children
were permitted to plaster over the vaccine vesicles with clay. The
vaccinator declared that he had cautioned them against this without
being able to put a stop to it. I impressed upon the people that it
would be much better not to submit their children to the operation at
all, than to allow its success to be marred in this way.
50 In December, the average of each vaccinator's work in the
Rungpore district was 190, in the succeeding months it was over 300—
not an unsatisfactory progress, seeing that, in four out of the five locali-
ties occupied by vaccinators, the operation was a novelty.
51. From Kallygunge I returned to Rungpore, and thence to
Julpigoree, again inspecting the work there and at Mynagoree before the
close of the season.
52. My vaccinators were supplied with virus of my own stock at
the beginning of the season, and with one exception, already mentioned,
the vesicle continued to be genuine everywhere in my circle during the
working months. Some of the lymph I am now using in the Darjeeling
Hills, is the product of that supplied to me by Dr. Charles when I
commenced work in 1866, and after two seasons' work in the plains and
one in the hills, it is as active as could be desired. At the commencement
of the season, I received from the Inspector-General's Office, two boxes
of tubes charged with lymph in London. One of the boxes was unfor-
tunately crushed in transmission through the post, and its contents des-
troyed : the lymph in the other was found on trial to be as active and
in as good condition as that I received last year from the same source.
The returns for the season are appended.
14
DARJEELING CIRCLE
No. 1.—VACCINATION RETURNS, DARJEELING CIRCLE, 1867-68.
Return—District Western Doars and Darjeeling Terai.
Deputy Superintendent of Vaccine, NIL MONI CHOWDEREE.
MONTHS.
November 1867 ...
December „ ...
January 1868 ...
February „ ...
March „
TOTAL ...
Successful.
42
662
1,109
1,013
645
3,471
Unsuccessful.
8
85
90
47
44
274
Doubtful.
...
6
20
33
14
73
Unknown.
...
5
13
5
4
27
Total.
50
758
1,232
1,098
707
3,845
Re- vaccinated.
8
85
87
47
44
271
Number of
Vaccinators.
4
4
4
4
4
REMARKS.
Return—District Dinagepore.
Native Superintendent, CHEDDA LOLL.
MONTHS.
November 1867 ...
December „
...
January 1868 ...
February
„ ...
March
„ ...
TOTAL
...
Successful.
9
520
1,398
1,914
1,554
5,395
Unsuccessful.
...
54
121
80
106
361
Doubtful.
...
13
33
60
68
174
Unknown.
...
5
36
30
10
81
Total.
9
592
1,588
2,084
1,738
6,011
Re-vaccinated.
...
57
92
80
106
335
Number of
Vaccinators.
4
7
7
7
7
REMARKS.
OF VACCINATION.
15
RETURN No. 1 —VACCINATION RETURNS, DARJEELING CIRCLE, 1867-68.
Return—District Rungpore.
Native Superintendent, NAZEER OOLLA.
MONTHS.
November 1867 ...
December „ ..
January 1868 ...
February
„ ...
March
„ ...
TOTAL
...
Successful.
...
744
1,562
1,204
1,318
4,828
Unsuccessful.
...
39
68
64
54
225
Doubtful.
...
9
24
150
82
265
Unknown.
...
6
22
23
14
65
Total.
...
798
1,676
1,441
1,468
5,383
Re-vaccinated.
...
39
70
64
54
227
Number
of
Vaccinators.
...
4
5
4
4
REMARKS.
Return—District Bogra.
Native Superintendent, TUJUMMOL HOSSEIN.
MONTHS.
November 1867 ...
December „ ...
January 1868 ...
February „ ...
March
„ ...
TOTAL
...
Successful.
262
273
695
1,231
1,317
3,778
Unsuccessful.
174
61
110
104
147
596
Doubtful.
...
13
55
51
51
170
Unknown.
...
3
14
7
4
28
Total.
436
350
874
1,393
1,519
4,572
Re-vaccinated.
174
61
107
114
141
597
Number of
Vaccinators.
4
4
3
5
5
REMARKS.
16
DARJEELING CIRCLE
RETURN NO 1.—VACCINATION RETURNS, DARJEELING CIRCLE, 1867-68.
Return—District Rajshahye.
Native Superintendent, TUZEEMMOL HOSEIN.
MONTHS.
November 1867...
December „ ...
January 1868 ...
February „ ...
March
„ ...
TOTAL ...
Successful.
...
9
1,421
1,993
1,766
5,189
Unsuccessful.
...
5
97
74
70
246
Doubtful.
...
...
17
72
47
136
Unknown.
...
...
9
22
25
56
Total.
...
14
1,544
2,161
1,908
5,627
Re-vaccinated.
...
...
73
65
79
217
Number of Vac-
cinators.
...
5
5
5
5
REMARKS.
RETURN NO. 2 —TOTAL VACCINATIONS IN EACH MONTH AND DISTRICT.
MONTHS.
November 1867 ...
December „
...
January 1868 ...
February „ ...
March
„ ...
TOTAL ...
Terai and West
Doars.
50
758
1,232
1,098
707
3,845
Dinagepore.
9
592
1,588
2,084
1,738
6,011
Rungpore.
...
798
1,676
1,441
1,468
5,383
Bogra.
436
350
874
1,393
1,519
4,572
Rajshahye.
...
14
1,544
2,161
1,908
5,627
TOTAL.
495
2,512
6,914
8,177
7,340
25,438
OF VACCINATION.
17
RETURN NO. 8.—VACCINATION RETURNS, DARJEELING CIRCLE, 1867-68.
Total Results of Vaccinations for each Month.
MONTHS.
November 1867...
December „ ...
January 1868 ...
February „ ...
March
„ ..
TOTAL..
Successful.
313
2,208
6,185
7,355
6,600
22,661
Unsuccessful.
182
244
486
369
421
1,702
Doubtful.
...
41
149
366
262
818
Unknown.
...
19
94
87
57
257
Total.
495
2,512
6,914
8,177
7,340
25,438
Re-vaccinated.
182
242
429
370
424
1,647
DARJEELING,
The 28th April, 1868.
T. MATHEW, M.B.,
Supdt., Darjeeling Vaccination Circle.
3
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
RANCHEE CIRCLE OF VACCINATION
FOR 1867-68.
BY
E.J. HOSKINS, M. D.,
SUPERINTENDENT OF VACCINATION RANCHEE CIRCLE.
INDEX.
As to the delay in submitting report
......
......
......
......
......
Establishment of Circle
......
......
......
......
......
......
...
Limits of Circle
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
Order of events, Sub-Assistant Surgeon Neem Chand Goopto begins work ...
Prejudices that he met with
......
......
......
......
......
......
Sub-Assistant Surgeon Neem Chand Goopto's latter plan
......
......
...
Objections made to the operation itself
......
......
......
......
......
Superintendent's arrival
......
......
......
......
......
......
...
Classes of Vaccinators
...
......
......
......
......
......
......
Number of Vaccinators
......
......
......
......
......
......
Amount of work done, and the percentage of success ...... ...... ......
PARA.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
13
14
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
RANCHEE CIRCLE OF VACCINATION
FOR 1867-68.
As to the de-
lay in submit-
ting report.
IN submitting this, the first Annual Report and Return, I regret that
delay has occurred, attributable to the late period of the season at which
I joined my appointment, and to my total inexperience of the Depart-
ment in which I had everything to learn ; also to the amount of addi-
tional medical work devolving on me in consequence of my having had
medical charge of the Regiment at Dorundah, and having been also
required to assist the Civil Surgeon of Ranchee in his duties, the two
regular medical officers having been both seriously ill.
Establishment
of circle.
2. This circle was established by orders of Government of India
No. 2811, in the Financial Department of 24th September, 1867, and
on November 25th, 1867, Sub-Assistant-Surgeon Neem Chund Goopto
joined as Deputy Superintendent of the Circle, pending the appointment
of a European medical officer as superintendent; this latter appoint-
ment I joined on 3rd February last, when the greater part of the work-
ing season was already over.
Limits of cir-
cle.
3. The circle comprises the Province of Chota Nagpore in which
are included the 4 zillahs of—
Loharduggah, including Sub-
Division of Palamow,
Head-quarters.
(Ranchee) ...
Hazareebaugh ...
...
...
...
...
Maunbhoom
...
...
(Purulia) ... ...
Singbhoom
...
...
(Chyebassa) ...
Total ...
Sqr. Miles.
11,284
7,021
5,552
4,503
28,360
a sufficiently wide area for one man efficiently to supervise.
a
2
RANCHEE CIRCLE
Order of
events; Sub-As-
sistant-Surgeon
Neem Chund
Goopto begins
work.
4. The Sub-Assistant-Surgeon began work in accordance with
his instructions in the District of Hazareebaugh ; he was directed to
use no other means than pure persuasion to induce the people to accept
vaccination; he found them almost universally unwilling, and very
suspicious of the new and extended system, and of himself. The mere
fact of his presence in a village seemed to render the people so suspi-
cious of what might be the ulterior object of his visit, and of the
Government in sending him, that his going amongst them in the first
instance seemed to do more harm than good to the scheme, and to
be a hindrance to their accepting vaccination.
Prejudices
that he met with.
5. All kinds of fears seized the minds of the natives; that he
wanted to steal the children for some purposes of witchcraft, or to send
them away as coolies to some other British possessions, and that to this
end they were vaccinated by way of setting the Government mark upon
them, so that they might be readily traced, when wanted, by the
police.
The most general idea was, that it had reference to some new
capitation tax to be imposed, not now perhaps, but after a few
years, when their fears should have gradually subsided, and the
Government should, in the meantime, by this indirect means, have
obtained a "census" of each village. Again that the operation of
vaccination was for the purpose of extracting a drop of blood, many of
which would be given to a ship proceeding to England, and that in
the event of shipwreck the sailors drowned would return to life,
at the expense of an equal number of the native children vacci-
nated in India (whose blood they had brought with them) who would
as suddenly die.
Sub-Assistant-
Surgeon Neem
Chund Goopto's
latter plan.
6. Finding these difficulties, and acting on the advice of the
Deputy Commissioner and Civil Surgeon (Major Boddam and Dr.
Delpratt) he adopted the plan of not going to the villages himself in
the first instance, but of sending the vaccinators ( Sindooriahs of the
district, and already known to the people) first, to try to gain over the
people and to vaccinate cases, and of then proceeding himself some
days later to verify the results. This caused a great waste of time
and labour, but it seemed to be the only plan that afforded a hope of
success under the " purely persuasive system."
Objections
made to the
operation itself.
7. Other points in which the people object to the operation itself
are—
1st. They object to its being done in the upper arm, their custom
being to inoculate in the forearm.