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Mynpoorie and Etawah, the number of girls greatly exceeds the number of boys vaccina¬
ted. In the returns for Mynpoorie, the girls are more numerous than the boys by a
fifth, and in Etawah by a seventh. When this is taken in conjunction with the circum-
stance that in these provinces the males exceed the females in number by more than
a tenth, the proportion of the sexes vaccinated is still more remarkable. That the
returns are correct I have no doubt. In some villages in the Allygurh district parti-
cularly I was surprised to notice that almost every child brought for inspection or vac-
cination was a female. The idea suggested by the refusal of these people to have their
infant females vaccinated was, I presume, that they were so impressed with the life-
saving properties of vaccination, as to make it an object with them to decline it for
those they did not wish to live. The predominance of the females Vaccinated might,
and I believe does, indicate an explanation less complimentary to the vaccine Depart-
ment. It may be that the parents are still so suspicious of vaccination that they will
not trust it for their boys; whilst they are satisfied to let their girls serve as the corpora¬
vilia upon which its effects can be tried.
A glance at the returns will also show that in those districts in which the propor-
tion of Mahomedans is high, the above proportions of the sexes is reversed. This
no doubt arises from the jealousy with which the Mahomedans seclude their females
even at a very tender age. Comparatively few Mussulmans being agriculturists, this is
still more marked in the case of the cities.
14. On the whole, the behaviour of my establishment has been fairly good.
Except in the case of the Agra district already mentioned, nothing like systematic
misconduct has been met with; cases of dismissal have been very few, and it has only
been when no other course was left open to me that I have felt obliged to adopt this
extreme measure. Hasty action in this respect is much to be deplored in any depart-
ment, but perhaps more so in this than in most others. Change of officers is naturally
taken advatange of by interested subordinates to pay off old grudges, or promote their
own interests at the expense of those who enjoyed the confidence of the previous incum-
bent. If, as sometimes happens, the relieving officer is a man whose judgment is
naturally feeble, or has not been strengthened by experience, a too willing ear is often
given to tales which a little reflection and knowledge of the character of Native subor-
dinates ought to lead him to regard with suspicion. Flattering himself with a belief
in the superiority of his own sagacity, which reveals the incapacity or corruption to
which his predecessor was so long blind, he begins to set the department in order by
the indiscriminate dismissal of many of the most experienced servants it contains. It
takes years to make a good vaccinator, and that this is no mere assertion must be plain
from the comparison already made between the work of the old and new vaccinators in
the Saharunpore district.
15. The substitution of apprentices for oomedwars has answered well in this circle.
The latter were never under thorough control, and their selection was rarely made
with sufficient care by the Native Superintendents.
16. For the first time the Municipal vaccinators of the Meerut district have been
placed directly under the superintendence of this department. Two of the six were
selected and appointed by the Superintendent of Vaccination. These differ in no respect
from the ordinary Municipal vaccinators of other districts. The remaining four were
selected by the municipal committees, and are called hakeem vaccinators. The idea
is, that these men will be more useful during the recess ; and also as vaccinators more
likely to have access to the families of the better classes. At first sight, and in theory,
nothing could look more promising. The only fault is, that as with the scheme for
educating the sons of hakeems as vaccinators, it entirely fails in practice. Of their value
as medical practitioners, I have no very high estimate. I have seen enough of them to
be convinced that they are, as a rule, utterly ignorant of the simplest principles of
medical science, and, on the whole, perhaps as likely to do harm as good to their patients.