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protected, and not by the total number of operations, for the work of the Hospital
Assistant is entirely confined to the town or village in which the dispensary is
located. He has not given any figures for selected dispensaries in support of this
opinion, but, supposing it to be correct, it shows that a great deal remains to be
done to give effect to the Resident's views in paragraph 6 of his review of last
year's report. The object to be attained is to make dispensaries popular as centres
of vaccination for the surrounding country, and not merely for the particular town
or village. Taking all dispensaries together, the percentage of population pro-
tected for the year under report is 30.3 compared with a provincial percentage of
34.8.
5. The inspection work by district superintendents is on the whole credit-
able to all of them, particularly to Diakar Rao in Buldana and Ajaj Hussain in
Ellichpur. In these two districts the percentage of villages visited was 95 and 96
and of work verified 75.
The inspections of dispensary work by Civil Surgeons are particularly good
in Wun (Apothecary Morrison), and though his percentage of cases is compara-
tively low, Dr. Roe (Amraoti) inspected a larger number of cases than any other
officer. In Akola (Dr. Reilly) the results show a great advance over those of the
preceding year, but there is still ample room for improvement. The difficulty in
collecting children so as to verify the 75 per cent. of those vaccinated is a real one,
and it can only be overcome by perseverance, by insisting on the patels using their
influence, and by gradually accustoming the people to understand what is required.
And, bearing in mind the generally friendly attitude of the people in Berar towards
vaccination, there is good reason to expect that in this particular matter also they
will yield to persuasion. But the Sanitary Commissioner might also ascertain by
what methods the difficulty is met in neighbouring provinces. The report does
not show the inspection work done by the superintendent himself.
6. The total expenditure of the year was Rs. 16,695-8-9, and the average
cost of each successful case Annas 3-1, results which do not differ materially from
those of the two preceding years. The orders to extend as far as possible the
use of animal lymph were received in December, and it was used in 41 per cent
of the total number of vaccinations. But in the districts of Amraoti and Ellich-
pur the orders did not receive due attention.
7. In paragraph 23 Dr. Little exhibits figures to show the efficiency of
vaccination in diminishing small-pox mortality in Berar. For the first five years
ending with 1872-73, during which operations were carried on, the mean ratio of
successful cases was 8.92 per 1,000, and the death-rate from small-pox 2.02 per
1,000. In the five years ending with 1887-88 the successful operations stand
at 34.68 per 1,000, and the death-rate from small-pox .38 per 1,000. These
figures tell their own tale. And it is satisfactory to learn that the people as a
whole appreciate the nature and object of the work done by the department, and
that, except in the larger towns, serious opposition is not met with. The Amraoti
Municipal Committee have recommended the extension of the Vaccination Act to
that city, and the question is under consideration whether it should be applied
to other towns as well. The correspondence will be submitted in due course
for the Resident's orders.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
T. CHICHELE PLOWDEN,
Commissioner, Hyderabad Assigned Districts.