( 3 )
The death-rate is the highest in the districts in which vaccination has
been most attended to. The natural inference is that in these localities
the climatic conditions are peculiarly favorable to the disease, and that
the vaccinators have followed in its wake. I am to point out that state-
ment No. I., from which these figures are taken, has been inaccurately
compiled. The totals of columns 17 and 19 for the Meerut Circle should be
87,109.7 and 8,235.2 instead of 12,444 and 1,372.5 respectively, and those
for the Agra Circle, 53,615.4 and 6,053.2 instead of 8,935.5 and 1,008.5.
5. The excellent arrangements made by Dr. Pringle in the city and
cantonment of Meerut, by which they escaped what threatened to be an
epidemic of small-pox, are noticed with approval by His Honor. Sir
George Couper is also glad to learn that the long continued exertions of
the Judge of the Small Couse Court, Benares, and of Pandit Bishen Dat,
are so warmly spoken of by Dr. Watson.
6. Nothing is said about inoculation, or whether the popular pre-
judices in its favor are on the wane. But it may here be noticed as a sign
of better things that several municipal committees have unanimously
passed bye-laws, by which the practice of inoculation has been made a
public nuisance within municipal limits.
7. Returns for Oudh.—Vaccination in Oudh is in a very backward
state, and I am to request that your best exertions be directed to the
improvement of it. The number of vaccinators is proportionally smaller
than in the North-Western Provinces. In the latter province there is one
for every 59,000 of the population : in Oudh one per 180,000. Hitherto
municipalities in Oudh have contributed nothing : but the expediency of
maintaining vaccinators out of municipal funds has lately been sug-
gested to committees in Oudh, and some municipalities have already
responded to the wishes of Government. It is possible that more aid
also might be given out of local funds. But the shortcoming of the
Vaccination Department in Oudh lies not so much in the weakness of the
staff, as in the small amount of work it accomplishes. Each vaccinator in
the North-Western Provinces performed 1,359 successful operations in
the year; his confrére in the densely populated districts of Oudh performed
641 only. The average cost of each successful vaccination in the latter
province is consequently more than double what it is in the North-West-
ern Provinces. The ratio of persons vaccinated to the total popula-
tion is as low as 2.74 per mille, or if the birth-rate only be considered,
6 per mille on the annual increment to the population. These figures
speak for themselves. The Lieutenant-Governor is well aware however
that owing to the comparatively small time that the practice of vaccina-
tion has been in force into Oudh, as compared with the North-Western
Provinces, the performers have greater difficulties to overcome in conse-
quence of the inveterate prejudices of the people. It is to be hoped, how-
ever, that the future will show an improvement. Financial considerations
will prevent Government increasing the number of native superintendents
and vaccinators as largely as could be wished. But there is no reason
why the existing body should not gradually work up to the level of
vaccinators in the North-Western Provinces.