NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
( 5 )
circles, except Kumaun and Benares, more females were vaccinated than
males ; this year, besides these two circles, there is a small excess of
males in Allahabad and Jhansi. The difference in Benares is greatest,
as there were more than 6,000 more males than females vaccinated there.
From the customs of the country, one would have supposed that
more male children would be vaccinated than female, unless indeed
where the people are more willing to try the experiment on girls than
boys from valuing them less ; but it is chiefly in the backward and
prejudiced circle of Benares that there is an excess of males.
Children under one year.
16, The percentage of vaccination of children
under one year stands thus :—
Kumaun,
...
...
Rohilkhand, ... ...
Agra and Meerut, ... ...
Allahabad and Jhansi, ...
Benares,
...
...
1872-73,
25.3
26.3
30.1
24.7
8.7
1873-74.
27.6
25.9
27.9
23.9
8.9
These returns are very similar to those of last year. But 1872-73 showed
a great falling off in this respect from the preceding year ; the general
percentage for the last three years being respectively 34 per cent., 22.8
per cent., and 22.7 per cent. The small percentage in Benares was
last year attributed by Dr. McGregor to the fact that inoculation was
most common in that part of the country, and that the feeling against
inoculating children under one year had survived, and is applied to vacci-
nation. This is probably true ; the present report seems to show that
this feeling still exists, and in this as in other respects Benares shows un-
favorably.
Re-vaccination.
17. In para. 4 of your report you have touched on a misunder-
standing of last year, regarding secondary operations.
As you say, except within certain limits, success in a
secondary operation shews that the protection afforded by the primary one
was insufficient, and is therefore the reverse of satisfactory.
Proportion of operations
to total population.
18. The proportion of vaccination to total po-
pulation in the different circles excluding secondary
operations) stands thus :—
Kumaun and Rohilkhand, ...
Agra and Meerut, ... ...
Allahabad and Jhansi, ... ...
Benares, ... ... ...
1872-73.
1.9
1.4
1.0
0.6
1873-74.
2.0
1.5
1.3
0.6
These are the figures for the past two years ; but if it should be asked
what proportion does the total number of persons protected bear to the
total population at the present time, the answer must be that there are
no sufficient data to enable us to ascertain. Dr. Walker's Jail Report for
1872-73 showed that only 0.95 of the prisoners had been vaccinated,
while 1.57 had been inoculated, and no less than 85.29 per cent. of them
had had small-pox. This year's report shows that out of 43,149 prison-
ers, 3.8 per cent, had been vaccinated. The Jail population however is
( 6 )
only a small fraction of the total population, and the figures regarding it
are not sufficient data on which to form any general conclusion. At the
very utmost, the proportion of the total vaccinated can hardly come to
more than 5 per cent. of the population.
Birth-rate.
19. You give the proportion of population successfully vaccinated
relatively to the number of births as 38.68, being
an increase of 2.58 per cent. over last year. These
proportions need not be further discussed here, and the subject is only
noticed in order to point out to you, that the birth-rate you assume, 30
per thousand, is certainly too low. The last half-yearly infanticide re-
turns, which extend over a considerable population, and are believed
to be very fairly correct, give an annual birth-rate of 38.4 per thou-
sand, and all the returns and information before Government point
to a birth-rate more like 40 than 30 per thousand. I am to invite your
attention to Mr. W. C. Plowden's remarks in Vol. I of the last Census
Report on the high birth-rate accompanied by a very large mortality,
which characterises the Province. In future, for the purpose of showing
the operations of your Department, you should assume the birth-rate at
40 per thousand.
Deaths by small-pox.
20. Your report is compiled by the official year 1873-74, and that
of the Sanitary Commissioner by the calendar year ;
but this makes no great difference as respects deaths
from small-pox, as the period during which small-pox was most preva-
lent, viz., March to June, 1873, falls within both years. The prevalence
of this epidemic was the principal feature of the health of the year; the
number of deaths from this cause being 3.15 per thousand, against 0.97
in 1872. The Sanitary Commissioner bears testimony to the good
which has been done, but the only Province where it can confidently be
asserted that vaccination has as yet sensibly affected small-pox mortality,
is Kumaun, where an amount of success has been obtained which the
Lieutenant-Governor believes has not been exceeded in any country in
the world. Rohilkhand is spoken of by Mr. Planck as "unprotected,"
(that is, as compared with Kumaun); but this and the other Vaccination
Reports show that, after Kumaun, that Division is more effectually pro-
tected than any other. And this being so, if any confirmation is needed
of the statement that vaccination has not yet, as a rule, affected the gene-
ral death-rate from small-pox, it will apparently be found in the fact, (if
indeed our statistics may be trusted,) that in no part of these Provinces
in the past nine years have the ravages of this disease been more severe
than in Rohilkhand. The worst districts during the past year are :—
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Deaths per thousand.
Bulartdshahr, ...
Gorakkpur, ...
Etah, ...
Badaun, ...
Basti, ...
Shahjahanpur,...
Bareilly,
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
... 7.43
... 7.39
... 7.17
... 6.16
... 6.07
... 5.49
... 5.08
( 7 )
It will thus be seen that in the seven districts in which the deaths have
been above five per thousand, three are in Rohilkhand.
Expenditure.
21. The expenditure statement given by you in your para. 20 has
already been incidentally noticed, but it remains to
compare it with the accounts furnished by the
Account Department, forwarded by you in your letter No. 793, dated
2nd June, 1874. The Accountant-General's accounts only show what is
spent by Government, and do not cover Municipal or local expenditure.
As regards the Government expenditure, the figures stand thus:—
Superintendent-General,
...
Superintendents, ... ...
Deputy Superintendents, ...
Native Superintendents, ...
Vaccinators,
...
...
Apprentices,
...
...
Tube-fillers, ... ...
Prizes,
...
...
Office establishment of Superin-
tendent-General, ...
Ditto
Superintendents, ...
Travelling allowance, ...
Contingencies,
...
...
Postage,
...
...
Total, ...
By report.
Rs.
15,000
28,802
1,800
7,894
21,347
2,030
360
400
1,080
1,260
5,116
2,400
1,015
88,504
By Acct.-Genl.
Rs.
15,000
30,064
1,800
7,714
21,474
1,987
Difference.
Rs.
1,262
180
127
43
Not shewn separately.
...
2,734
...
494
(Clerks and servants).
4,985
2,560
686
*89,631
131
160
329
The discrepancies are slight, and call for no remark. But in future,
as already directed in G. O. No. 1117A., dated 16th July 1874 (Judicial
Criminal Department), you should arrange with the Accountant-General
to show your accounts under the same headings. You should also fill in
the Budget figures. You were instructed to do this in the orders on your
last report, but you seem to have overlooked them.
Cost of successful opera-
tions.
22. The cost of each successful operation was Rs. 0-4-8 against
Rs. 0-4-6 last year : you compare this in your para. 2
with the amount allowed for each case in England
(2s. 6d.), and express your opinion that we are not far behind British
arrangements in securing that the work is as well performed. I am,
however, to call your attention to the following table, which shows the
cost of successful operations in the year 1872-73 in some other Indian
* NOTE.—This total includes,—
Medical stores, ...
Teaching hakims,
Miscellaneous, ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Rs.
„
„
36
125
465
( 8 )
Provinces, the results obtained in which are more fairly comparable with
our own :—
North-Western Provinces,
Bengal,
...
Panjab,
...
Bombay,
...
Madras,
...
Mysore,
...
..
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Rs.
0
0
0
0
0
0
a.
4
2
2
6
5
2
P
6
3
10
8
7
3
You will see from this that as regards economy, the North-West does
not stand high. What the causes are, which make operations so much
cheaper in Bengal and the Panjab, are not fully known to the Govern-
ment. I am to request that you will enquire into this subject.
Comparison of circles.
23. What has been already said will show that next to Kumaun,
which is exceptional in its circumstances, Rohilkhand,
which is likewise under the Superintendent-General's
immediate supervision, holds the highest place. The progress in the
Agra and Meerut, and Allahabad and Jhansi Circles seems on the whole
satisfactory, and the Lieutenant-Governor gladly endorses the commenda-
tion bestowed by you on Drs. Watson and Richardson. The state of
Benares is least satisfactory. This part of the country was formerly
the special home of inoculation, and to this the people still cling.
Besides this, the circle has for the past two years had Superintendents
new to the work, and during the past season Dr. H. S. Smith was un-
avoidably prevented from commencing his tour of inspection till late in
the year. The fact mentioned by Dr. Smith, that one of the vaccinators
offered to vaccinate or inoculate the people as they chose, shows of itself
that the subordinate establishment was not well in hand. It is to be hoped
that the return of Dr. Richardson to the circle will be attended with
good results.
Bundelkhand States.
24. Vaccination in the Bundelkhand States is progressing; 5,440
more persons having been vaccinated than in the pre-
ceding year. You complain of the precarious footing
on which the vaccinators stand, and of their being paid in land; but
this method of payment may be more in accord with the feelings and
customs of Native States, and so long as good results are obtained, the
apparatus by which they are got need not be precisely the same as that in
the North-West. Dr. Watson's report, however, and your comments
thereon, will be forwarded to the Foreign Department, and special atten-
tion will be called to the State of Ajdigarh.
Proposals for increase
of establishment.
25. In your report you have made various proposals for increase of
establishment. They seem in themselves to be unob-
jectionable, but they must be considered on financial
grounds, and with that view such of them as have not been already sanc-
tioned should be sent up separately.
Cantonment vaccination.
26. On the subject of cantonment vaccination you have been already
addressed in G. O. No. 1276A., dated 29th May, 1874,
and I am to refer to that letter as containing the views
( 9 )
of Government. The condition that vaccination must be made compul-
sory has already been disapproved by this Government. If indeed can-
tonments only included the military bazars, inhabited by camp followers
and trades-people dependent on the soldiery for custom, there might be
something to urge in favor of the proposal. But as things are, canton-
ment boundaries frequently include thousands of people entirely uncon-
nected with the military, and to make vaccination compulsory on all these
would be opposed to the principles of the British Government. If the
mere asking a boy in a school if he was vaccinated or not was held to be
dangerous, as being likely to drive children from the schools, this mea-
sure would certainly be fraught with much greater risk. It would give
rise to exaggerated rumours, and might have the effect of depopulating
cantonments.
27. In conclusion, I am to convey the Lieutenant-Governor's
thanks to you and to your officers for your labours in the past year, and
his acknowledgments of the assistance rendered by the official and non-
official gentlemen whose names are mentioned in the report. The time
that must elapse before the enormous population of these Provinces can
be effectually protected against small-pox must be long, but there is no
department of the administration in which more real and more
valuable progress has been made than in this. Although the remarkable
results which have been obtained in the Hill Districts of Kumaun and
Garhwal have doubtless been arrived at under far more favourable con-
ditions than those which exist in the plains, those results are full of en-
couragement. Sir John Strachey well remembers the terrible epide-
mics of small-pox by which, before you commenced your work some
twenty years ago, these districts were constantly ravaged ; and the pre-
judices and suspicions of the people in regard to vaccination were then
as strong as they now are in any other part of these Provinces. It may
now be said, without exaggeration, and with certainty, that owing to your
exertions small-pox in Kumaun and Garhwál has been extirpated as an
epidemic disease. The people have learned by experience the value of
vaccination, and their prejudices against it have almost disappeared.
There is no reason why with time and perseverance similar results should
not be obtained throughout these Provinces. Sir John Strachey has
long watched your operations with interest, and he now desires, as
Lieutenant-Governor of these Provinces, to thank you on the part of the
Government for the excellent services which you have rendered to the
country.
I have the honor to be,
SIR,
Your most obedient Servant,
C. A. ELLIOTT,
Secretary to Government,
North- Western Provinces.
SEASON OF 1874-75.
RETURNS OF VACCINATION
FOR THE
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES
AND
NATIVE STATES OF BUNDELKHAND.
BY SURGEON-MAJOR F. PEARSON,
SUPERINTENDENT-GENERAL OF VACCINATION, NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
ALLAHABAD:
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES GOVERNMENT PRESS.
1875.
SEASON OF 1874-75.
RETURNS OF VACCINATION
FOR THE
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES
AND
NATIVE STATES OF BUNDELKHAND.
BY SURGEON-MAJOR F. PEARSON,
SUPERINTENDENT-GENERAL OF VACCINATION, NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES,
ALLAHABAD:
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES GOVERNMENT PRESS.
1875.
SEASON OF 1874-75.
RETURNS OF VACCINATION
FOR
THE
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
No. 18 OF 1875.
FROM
SURGEON-MAJOR F. PEARSON,
Supdt.-General of Vaccination, N.-W. Provinces,
To
A. COLVIN, ESQUIRE,
Offg. Secretary to Government, N.-W. Provinces.
DATED ALMORA, THE 17TH MAT, 1875.
Sir,
I have the honour to submit, for the information of His Honor the Lieutenant¬
Governor, the Returns of Vaccination, North-Western Provinces, for the year 1874-75.
1.—ABSTRACT OF RETURNS OF VACCINATION, NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.
A.—Strength of Establishment.
1873-74.
I
3
1
35
232
35
3
91
46
1
17
465
1874-75.
1
3
5
35
262
35
5
93
30
1
16
486
Superintendent-General,
Superintendents,
Deputy Superintendents,
Native
ditto,
Vaccinators,
Apprentices,
Tube-fillers,
Paid by Government.
Vaccinators paid by Municipalities.
Ditto
paid from Local Funds.
Native Superintendent,
Vaccinators,
Total strength.
Paid by native chiefs and landlords.
2. The appointment of four additional Deputy Superintendents for the Kumaun,
Agra, Jhansi, and Benares Divisions was sanctioned at the commencement of the
working season, it having been found necessary to enlarge the supervising staff. With
the annually increasing number of vaccinators it had become impossible with the then
existing agency to inspect the work of every vaccinator during the season, and in the
absence of the certainty of such inspection vaccination would quickly degenerate into
what it used to be in the old days of dispensary vaccination under Civil Surgeons,
when vaccinators were allowed to roam all over the country with no one to look after
their work or to exercise any check over their returns. The Deputy Superintendents
of the Kumaun and Benares Divisions promise to be useful and reliable assistants, but
I refrain from passing any opinion at the present time upon the qualifications of the
Deputy Superintendents of the Agra and Jhansi Divisions, as they are on their probation.
These latter come from a different class to the two former, they having been, at the urgent
request of their Superintendents, promoted to their present position from the grade of
1v
( 3 )
E.—Age of primary cases.
Under one year,
... ... ...
Over one year,
...
...
...
128,080
317,821
The natives dislike their children being operated upon when very young, hence the *
above great disproportion. In England it is the law of the land that children must
be vaccinated before they are three months old.
F.—Percentage of success, excluding unknown cases.
5. In primary vaccination it was 87.64, being an increase of .14 over that of
the previous year. In re-vaccination the percentage was 21.32, being a decrease of
34.78. In my last year's report I remarked upon the high percentage of success
recorded in re-vaccination, and attributed it to the want of accuracy on the part of the
vaccinators in determining the appearances produced by secondary vaccination. The
vaccinators having been more carefully instructed on these points, mere local irritation
of the arm is not now recorded as " successful," and the percentage consequently
wears a more reasonable aspect. The percentage of success in primary cases is fairly
good, but it ought to reach a higher figure, and will do so when parents are more care-
ful in protecting their children's arms after operation, and when vaccinators attend
more to the minutiae upon which the success of the operation so much depends.
G.—Average number vaccinated monthly by each vaccinator during the working season.
In 1873-74 it was 250.48
In 1874-75 it was 264.84
6. Great differences prevail in the different circles. Kumaun stands at the head of the
list, showing an average of 461; next in order comes Rohilkhand, with an average
of 270.
The Meerut and Agra circles give 239, Benares 186, and last of all is the
Allahabad and Jhansi circle, showing 175. It is satisfactory to see that those circles
yield the largest numbers where vaccination has been longest introduced. We may
therefore hope that similar results will ensue in those circles in which vaccination is
now so comparatively backward.
H.—Proportion of population successfully vaccinated during the year relatively to the
number of births.
7.
Assuming the birth-rate at 40 in a 1,000 in a population of 30,781,204, the
percentage successfully vaccinated on the birth addition (1,231,248) was 29.95, being
an increase of .95 over the previous year. I can only observe that something is being
effected, and that annually our position improves. We are yet, however, far from
making any very perceptible impression upon the mortality from small-pox; but we
are working in the right direction, and a continuance of the present system will make
itself felt as our establishments grow in numbers and the people become aware of the
benefits accruing.
I.—Proportion successfully vaccinated amongst children below one year of age, as com-
pared with the assumed number of births (1,231,248).
8. The number of children vaccinated below one year of age was 128,080. Assum-
ing 87.64 of these to have been successful, then 9.11 per cent. of the children born
were successfully vaccinated—a lamentably small percentage, and one not likely to
improve until the parents have learnt from experience the error of their ways.
J.—Death from small-pox.
In 1873, ... ...
In 1874, ... ...
97,093
93,247
( 4 )
9. In the five years ending 1869 the deaths from small-pox in the North-Western
Provinces were 3311,175 ; in the five years ending 1874 the number was 282,426. How
far the difference (48,749) is owing to vaccination I am not prepared to say ; but I think
the Vaccine Department may put in its claim to a share of the lives saved.
K.—Percentage of sex and age in primary cases.
1873-74,
1874-75,
Male.
51.42
4930
Female.
48.55
5019
Under one year.
22.70
28.72
Over one year.
77.28
71.27
10. The above table indicates, perhaps, a diminishing fear on the part of parents to
submitting their babies to the tender mercies of the vaccinator.
L.—Proportion in a hundred of Christians, Muhammadans, high caste and low caste
Hindus, in the North- Western Provinces.
Christians.
00.07
Muhammadans.
13.61
High caste Hindus.
22.73
Low caste Hindus.
63.58
M.—Percentage of caste in primary cases.
Christians.
00.29
Muhammadans.
14.86
High caste Hindus.
19.47
Low caste Hindus.
65.36
11. The above table, I think, demonstrates that there are no objections to vaccina-
tion on religious grounds, as all classes appear to accept it in fairly equal proportions.
N.— Comparative number of all vaccinations per mensem, with percentage of success per-
formed by each class of vaccinators.
No.
262
93
30
16
Class of vaccinators.
Government vaccinatos, ... ...
Municipal
ditto, ... ...
Local
ditto, ... ...
Native chiefs and landlords' ditto, ...
Average monthly number.
305.98
175.27
242.42
164.80
Percentage of success.
87.15
86.94
88.91
87.27
12. The Government vaccinator, as usual, heads the list.
Practically there is very little difference in any of the vaccinators as vaccinators,
for they are all equally trained and supervised. The difference is in the localities in
which they work. The Government vaccinators are employed principally in the rural
districts, where the people are amenable to persuasive influences. In the cities other
feelings come into play, and assert themselves in a manner not conducive to the
vaccinator's easy and peaceful pursuit of his calling.
O.— Cost per success/id case.
13. The total amount spent on vaccination during the year 1874-75 was Rs. 1 ,09,214.
Of this sum the Government contributed, ... Rs.
Municipalities, ...
...
...
...
...
„.
Local Funds,
...
...
...
...
... „
Native chiefs and landlords,
...
...
...
„
Rs.
96,253
8,396
2,801
1,764
1,09,214
7
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
0
( 10 )
No. 19.
FROM
SURGEON-MAJOR F. PEARSON,
Supdt.-General of Vaccination, N.-W. Provinces,
TO
SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, N.-W. P.
DATED ALMORA, THE 15TH MAT, 1875.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to forward the returns of vaccination of the Indepen-
dent States of Bundelkhand for the year 1874-75. The average number of cases
vaccinated by each vaccinator during the season is 411 only, and the percentage of
success 85.2. The amount effected is not much, but results must not be criticised too
closely, as the system of payment of vaccinators is peculiar, and does not tend to elicit
any great zeal in the performance of their duties.
Dr. Watson, however, reports that the native princes generally are favourable to
vaccination, and states that " last year the Maharaja of Bijawar was vaccinated him-
self. This year, during the tour of the Governor-General's Agent for Central India,
in the Bundelkhand part of his Agency, the following influential chiefs had their children
vaccinated:—
"1. On the 7th or 8th February the Maharaja of Aligarh had his two sons
vaccinated.
" 2. On the 22nd February the Maharaja of Tehri had his daughter and his
nephew vaccinated ; as also the son of Bali, Brahmin, one of his ministers.
" 3. On the 2nd March the jagirdar of Dhorai had his son vaccinated, and two
of his leading nobles, Diwan Gauj Singh and Diwan Chatur Sal, had their grand-
children vaccinated.
" 4. On the same day the jagirdar of Bijna had his son vaccinated, and two of
his relations, Kuar Diwan Singh and Kuar Kumar Singh, had their daughters vac-
cinated.
" 5. On the 5th March the jagirdar of Tori Fatehpur had the children of several
of the leading merchants and nobles in his dominions vaccinated."
Dr. Watson makes mention of " the great interest that Dr. Stratton, the Poli-
tical Agent, has taken for many years past in the cause of vaccination, and attributes
the success of it as entirely owing to his influence." Dr. Watson also speaks favour-
ably of the Deputy Superintendent, Rajab Ali Khan.
I have the honour to be,
SIR,
Your most obedient Servant,
F. PEARSON,
Supdt.- Genl. of Vaccination, N.- W P.