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8. The increase of work, with a less number of operators, I attribute to the
gradually growing appreciation of its benefits amongst the masses, to the prevalence of
small-pox in many of the districts, and by no means the least, to the zealous spirit
which my predecessor, Dr. Richardson, infused into his subordinates. With a zeal
bordering on enthusiasm, he vaccinated with his own hands a number larger than that
of three-fourths of the vaccinators, in addition to conducting his inspection duties.
9. The advent of small-pox does not terrify the people, particularly Hindoos, into
trying the prophylactic as much as one would anticipate. The scourge is looked upon
as a manifestation of the anger of a goddess, to be mitigated by worship and offerings,
and not by such "carnal" means as vaccination. A curious circumstance is, that in
some parts of the country, however rich one may be, he must beg the required amount
for the worship of the goddess of small-pox. That such is not always the case, the
following, which occurred in the Goruckpore district, proves, and it also illustrates the
disposition of the people towards vaccination when small-pox is prevalent. Two years
ago a mahajun had one of his two children vaccinated; the other he believed at that
time to be too young for the operation. On the following year small-pox broke out
rather violently in his village ; he was advised not to offend the goddess by having his
unprotected child vaccinated in her very presence, but when the child was taken ill
he spared no expense in sacrifices and offerings to the priests, in order to propitiate
the offended deity. The child, however, died, and the grieved father repaid his evil-
advising Brahmins in a manner that showed but two palpably that his faith had received
a, rude shock.
10. A prophylactic is not so much opposed to the scruples of the bigoted as is
the idea of a remedy. I have several times been told "when the goddess has removed
her hand we will have our children vaccinated; " and the marked immunity of those
protected will doubtless force upon them the conviction of its necessity. In a village
near Munsoorgunj, a man, who particularly distinguished himself in opposing vaccina¬
tion, lost three of his children within a month afterwards from small-pox. I made
this poor man's loss the subject of a warning to the inhabitants of that village, which
was productive of immediate good.
11. Mirzapore.—The amount of work is greater this year by 801. As last year,
the most successful man is Bunga Singh, vaccinator of Robertsgunj. His number is
3,598, but a relative of his did nearly half the cases. I regret to say that the record of
his cases is not to be relied upon. He has been detected falsifying his returns and
punished accordingly. His work, notwithstanding, is far above the average. I saw
over 200 even in November, and whole villages that had been vaccinated last year. I
regret his untrustworthiness all the more in that I came to consider him in the light
of a "representative" vaccinator. As explained in Dr. Richardson's report, he has the
advantages of being a zemindar and a man of good family. The prestige of his position
is enhanced in the eyes of the simple-minded villagers, not the more from his being a
Raja's "brother," than from his presenting himself always before them attended by two
servants, and in a dress and accoutrements resembling those of a Sikh sowar. His well
known courage (if not his profession) renders his tout ensemble not inappropriate, for in
more than one place the villagers have told me with pride how Bunga Singh killed
at iger with his lathee, and saved a Brahmin's child which was on the point of being
carried off. These were trifling details did they not account for his undoubted success.
12. The other vaccinators of Mirzapore are only average men. One, a Kahar,
I was obliged to dismiss for utter inefficiency. The man at Chunar fell ill in Janu¬
ary, and has not since been heard of: his locum tenens did next to nothing. Of the three
local men who were appointed towards the end of December, only one man sent from
Benares was anything like successful, but the field is new, and greater difficulties are of
course experienced.