( 21 )
Number.
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
Division.
Benares.
Oudh.
Jails.
Benares
...
...
Mirzapore ... ...
Ghazeepore
...
Jounpore ...
...
Azimgurh ... ...
Goruckpore
...
Total ...
Lucknow Central Prison
Ditto
Jail
...
Fyzabad ...
...
Gondah ... ...
Seetapore ...
...
Sultanpore...
...
Total ...
Number of pri
soners.
100
400
100
100
100
100
900
200
200
200
200
200
95
1,095
Percentage plainly
marked by natu-
ral small-pox.
62
40
23
39
46
68
46
97
96
93
81
82
98
91
Percentage plainly
marked by inocu-
lation.
18
16
24
18
23
12
18
...
...
...
...
6
...
1
Total percentage of
those marked by
small-pox inocu-
lation.
80
56
47
57
69
80
64
97
96
93
81
88
98
92
Percentage unpro
tected.
20
44
53
43
31
20
36
3
4
7
19
12
2
8
Here we find that while 18 per cent. of the prisoners in the Benares District
bore distinct marks of having been inoculated, but one per cent. was found so marked
in the adjacent province of Oudh. This one per cent. even Dr. Sutherland thinks a
mistake, as in those cases the marks were described as multiple, while the mark of
inoculation is always single.
6. In addition to the resident Inoculators of the castes above-mentioned, many
Bengalees cross over from Sarun every spring and continue their operations during
the hot weather. Thus, an Inoculator, unless he is a known resident, is always described
as a Bengalee or Purbee. This custom, though a little more prevalent towards the
eastern side of the division, is nearly equally common in the various districts, if we
except the southern part of Mirzapore, where it is unknown, and Bustee, where there
are no resident Inoculators, but the people to a certain extent avail themselves of the
services of the itinerant Bengalee Inoculators.
7. The mode of procedure here practised differs in several important particu-
lars from that described by Dr. Charles as seen near the Presidency, and also from
what was until lately seen in the Kumaon hills. It is something as follows :—
The Inoculator, having arranged preliminaries regarding the number of children to
be operated on and the fee for each, selects with the concurrence of the parents a lucky
day, such as Monday or Friday, for his operations. On that day he commences work
by producing an image of Sitla, which he carries about with him, and, having propiti-
ated the goddess by prayer and offering triturates in a shell, a few small-pox crusts,
with a little water, and certain spices* which they profess to hold a secret, and by means
of which, they affirm, they can modify to any degree the activity of the virus ; he
then takes an instrument resembling a nail flattened at the thicker end, and with it
punctures a place about the size of an eight-anna piece on the outer side of the fore-
arm in males, and the upper arm in females. On this spot some of the crust solution
or some fresh small-pox matter is then rubbed, and a piece of cloth fastened over the
part. The inoculated children are allowed to play with the others until the appearance
of febrile symptoms about the sixth or seventh day. Then the Inoculator makes each
of his little patients swallow a few small-pox crusts. This, they say, is necessary to
appease the goddess, who is supposed to be angry at her rights having been interfered
with. The children are now confined to the house, and, as a rule, are not permitted to
* These the Vaccinators who were formerly Inoculators tell me are saffron to increase and curd to
reduce the strength of the fever.
3
6