Report on Vaccination in the Central Pro-
vinces during the Season 1880-81.
Before entering on the proper subjects of this report, it will be advisable
to make a few remarks explanatory of the supposed errors in the statistics of
1879-80. This is all the more necessary as not only the administration of these
Provinces, but the Government of India, and the Sanitary Commissioner shared
in the belief that serious errors had crept in which did not reflect creditably on
,the Officers concerned in the preparation of the returns.
2. Surgeon Major Barter's desire was to present a statement which would
exhibit only the work of the paid agents of vaccination in these Provinces ; with
this view he had amended Statement No. I prepared.
In comparing the figures in this with those of the ordinary statement, the
difference is found to amount to 53,440. This decrease is thus accounted for : —
vaccination in Native States 24,441, wrongly shown as vaccination in Saugor
9,259, and Dispensary vaccination 19,740. These last figures explain the sup-
posed inaccuracy, and also account for the apparent discrepancies in the returns
from districts. Thus the figures for Jubbulpore in original statement were
16,137, and by amended statement 12,778. The difference 3,359 represents the
Dispensary Vaccination of that district, and so on with all the other districts of
these Provinces.
3. Then with reference to the supposed minor errors pointed out in
paragraph 3 of letter of the Secretary to the Government of India, Home,
Revenue and Agricultural Department (Medical), No. 388, dated 6th September
1880, to the Chief Commissioner, Central Provinces, the following remarks will,
it is trusted, be explanatory. In paragraph 17, page 6 of the Vaccination
Report, 94 is given as the percentage of success as ascertained by personal
inspection of the Civil Surgeon. In the statement page 3, the percentages are
given as ascertained by the Civil Surgeon, by the Vaccinators, and by the Native
Superintendents, the figures being 94.58,97.41 and 96.32 respectively.
4. With reference to the difference in the figures as given in paragraph 25
page 7, and in Statement No. I. the apparent discrepancy is cleared up in this
way. The average of work done was calculated on the figures of Nagpur minus
those of Kamptee, (not under the Sanitary Commissioner's supervision). The total
for the Nagpur district is 22,305, deducting the work done at Kamptee (1,335) the
remainder is 20,970, which figures divided by 14 (number of vaccinators) gives
1,498 as the average work of each man. In Statement No. I., column 7, the
figures are obtained thus :—the total work of Nagpur and Kamptee is 22,305.
This divided by 16 (representing 14 Nagpur and 2 Kamptee vaccinators) yields
1,394.
5. As regards the figures for Raipur, the precentage given in paragraph 30
page 8, is calculated from the figures in the Civil Surgeon's report, whereas the
percentage in Statement I. is taken from the figures furnished by vaccinators
themselves.
6. Vaccination has been successfully practised in these Provinces during
the season of 1880-81. In no year since the first introduction of systematic
vaccination have so many cases been vaccinated. The figures are 325,021, of
which 306,226 were successful; of this number the Government vaccinators did
268,088 cases, those in the employ of municipalities 9,460, supported by Local
Funds 3,314, Native States vaccinators did 20,588, and Dispensary vaccina-
tion came to 23,571. The successful cases were 253,553, 9,248, 3,058, 19,067
and 21,300 respectively. The amount of work done could have been largely
increased had all conditions been favorable. Six of the eighteen districts reported
serious decrease of work, and in three the increase is very inconsiderable. Con-
sequently if it had not been for the large increase reported from the other