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between 2,000 and 5,000, and none inspected less than 1,000 cases against 5 of
the previous year. The Civil Surgeons of the first named districts deserve
credit for the inspection work performed by them. The attention of the Civil
Surgeons who performed an inadequate amount of inspections will again be
drawn to the matter.
Of the subordinate inspecting staff 12 District Inspectors of Vaccination
against 13 of the previous year, inspected more than 50 per cent of the oper-
ations in their jurisdiction; 14 between 40 and 50 per cent; 17 between 20 and
40, and 6 below 20 per cent against 7, 24, and 4 respectively of the previous
year. In 8 districts, the Sub-Inspectors of Vaccination inspected more than
80 per cent of the operations under their charge against 9 of the previous
year; in 32 districts between 50 and 80 per cent. and in 8 districts only
below 50 per cent. The subordinate inspecting officers whose inspection work
was unsatisfactory, have been warned.
General remarks.
19. I beg to draw the attention of Government to the remarks which I
made in paragraph 19 of my last triennial report re-
garding the state of vaccination in this province.
The state of things therein described still continues. There is the same opposi-
tion to vaccination in Bihar, the districts of the Orissa Division and in
the Tributary States as it was three years ago. In fact there is scarcely any
district in Bengal where there is not some opposition in some form or other.
Infant vaccination is very unpopular in most parts of the Province. Parents
hide their children from the vaccinators in the belief that the operation
would cause them pain and lead to suffering and disease. In fact deaths
from other causes months after children are vaccinated are attributed to
vaccination. At present the Vaccination Department has to work under
great disadvantages. The vaccinators are not Government servants and
as such are not recognized by the people and are looked upon with
disfavour. They depend for their living on the fees which they get
from the people, but which, unfortunately, they cannot realize in many
cases. They have not got any proper remedy, as there is no special law in
force compelling the payment of these fees, and they have, therefore, to depend
on the good graces of the village panchayets or the police in the matter, but
the people have come to know that the only course left to the vaccina-
tor to realize his fees is by instituting a civil suit which they very well
know he will not care to do for the worry and expense of. it, and they thus
easily evade payment. The result is that many trained, good vaccinators,
throw up their appointment in disgust and take to some other occupation for a
living. It is difficult to replace them as there is not competition for the
work and it is natural that this should be the case under existing circumstances.
Those that stick to the occupation, work in areas where fees are easily
obtained, leaving others to do so where there is opposition to vaccination or
the people are reluctant to pay fees. The consequence is that many places
are left unprotected and on the out-break of small-pox, it usually plays havoc
with the people, as was the case in the past year.
The subordinate inspecting staff are not much better off. They are recruited
from the vaccination staff, and are an ignorant lot of men, who cannot be
expected to exercise any great influence on the people, on which alone, under
the present optional system, the success of vaccination depends. They have
no distinct badge or uniform and move about like ordinary persons without
carrying much weight with, or respect from, the people. The Sanitary
Commissioner has to look to the superior supervising officers of the Depart-
ment, viz., the Civil Surgeons and the Deputy Sanitary Commissioners for
real help. The former, "however, cannot devote much time to vaccination
inspection, owing to their heavy and numerous duties at head-quarters, and the
latter are required to visit the outlying parts of the Province which the former
cannot inspect. But unfortunately during a considerable portion of the
triennial period under report, I have had to work without deputies in some of the
circles, and one circle (Western Bengal Circle) was in charge of an Assistant
Surgeon. The covenanted officers were also employed in plague and other work
and could not do much vaccination inspection. The frequent change of these
officers also retarded work. To be of real help to the Department, a Sanitary
and Vaccination Officer of the position of a Deputy Sanitary Commissioner