( 6 )
These rolls are kept on separate sheets of paper, one sheet being devoted to each
village, except in the case of large towns, where there is a separate sheet for each
quarter or mohullah.
As soon as the vaccinator met me, I took from him the whole of his nominal
rolls and compared them with the weekly and monthly abstracts which I had previ-
ously received from him by post. After having satisfied myself that the numbers
given in the abstracts were the same as the numbers entered on the nominal rolls,
I collected the latter into a heap, and drew at random two or more sheets, and
informed the vaccinator, that he must show me all the children whose names were
entered on the sheets which I had drawn.
This generally involved a ride of many miles from camp, but I made a point of
seeing these particular children before inspecting any other vaccination.
On arriving at the village, I first inquired from the villagers whether the vaccin-
ator had been there on the day he mentioned in his report. This is a matter of great
importance, as a vaccinater might attempt to deceive his European Superintendent
by showing him vaccinations done on a different day from that mentioned in the
report. I then proceeded to inspect all the children whose names were entered on the
nominal roll; and this is easily done, as the roll gives the name, age, and sex of each
child, as well as the father's name and his caste.
Occasionally I was told that some of the children had either quitted the village or
had gone away for the day to some neighbouring place, but in such cases I had little
difficulty in satisfying myself whether the vaccinator's report was correct or otherwise.
This was done by asking the people of the village to tell me the caste and age of the
absent child, and their statements were compared with those given in the nominal roll,
which had remained in my possession from the date of my arrival in the tehseel, so
that the vaccinator could have had no opportunity of altering it to suit his purposes.
After having inspected all the children whose names appeared on the rolls, I accom-
panied the vaccinator to any other villages which happened to be near, or to any
villages in which small-pox had recently occurred.
10. The Agra and Meerut Circle is the largest in the North-Western Provinces,
and has attached to it a hill district, consisting of the Native State of Tehree and of
the British territory of Jounsar Bawur. In para. 2 of his report, the Superintendent,
Dr. Pringle, mentions the superiority of the tubes filled in his own hill district as
compared with those which he received from England : 80 per cent of the former were
good, and only 50 per cent. of the latter. The difference can easily be understood, as,
however good the lymph may be when it leaves England, a considerable percentage
may be expected to be found bad after a long sea voyage, and more particularly after
exposure to the heat of the plains of India, consequent on transmission by post from
Bombay to the headquarters of the Superintendent and from there to the address of
the vaccinator who is to use the tubes. Hill tubes, on the contrary, are kept in a cold
climate until the time for using them arrives, and are then sent direct to the vaccinator.
In para. 9, Dr. Pringle states that in his return, vaccination of adults in jails,
&c., has been entered under the column of "primary vaccination." In all the other
circles these cases have been included under column 10, "revaccination."
In para. 11, the question of animal vaccination is discussed at great length, and I
entirely agree with the opinions therein expressed. As far as I know, no good autho-
rity in England has ever approved of the introduction of the practice of animal vacci-
nation. It has, however, been praised by some Continental authorities, and it has been
found highly satisfactory in Bombay.
In his report for 1869-70, the Superintendent of the Central Circle, Bombay,
Sub-Assistant Surgeon Anento Chandaroba, says :—" The chief burden of our reports,
" year after year, was the want of a sufficient quantity of good lymph.