3
11. Diagram illustrating death rates from Small-pox and the degree
of protection afforded.—The diagram facing this page illustrates the death
rates from Small-pox in each district, the proportion of population reported to
be protected against the disease by vaccination during the past seven years
being shown side by side.
12. Deaths from Small-pox.—During 1917-18 the total number of
deaths from Small-pox in this Presidency was 7,020, showing a ratio of .15
per mille of the population as compared with 10,519, and 24,074 with ratios of
.23 and .52 during the two previous years. With regard to the cause of
this decline in the mortality from the desease, a reference is invited to the
remarks made in paragraph 31 of the Report on Sanitation in Bengal for the
year 1917. The largest number of deaths were recorded in the districts
of Pabna (1,322), Mymensingh (986), Dinajpur (828), Rangpur (788), Burdwan
(638), Jalpaiguri (604), 24-Parganas (452), Midnapore (209), Bogra (111) and
Malda (104), while the districts of Hooghly, Faridpore, Khulna, Jessore and
Nadia had only 10, 14, 15, 16 and 23 deaths, respectively.
13. Animal Vaccine Depot.—Altogether 2,229 against 2,123 calves
were vaccinated in the Calcutta Animal Vaccine Depôt during the past year,
and the quantity of lymph manufactured was 858,759 against 765,201 grains
during 1916-17.
14. Different methods of vaccination.—During the year under report
1,223 primary operations were performed with lymph direct from calves,
1,334,422 with lanoline lymph and 21,695 with glycerinated lymph against
3,433, 1,303,762 and 21,165, respectively, during the preceding year, the ratio
per cent. of success under each of these methods of vaccination being 97'54,
96.64 and 95.13 against 93.03, 93.33 and 96.64.
The number of re-vaccinations performed under each of the above
processes was 586, 243,000 and 13,675 with a success of 55.12, 68.49 and
27.12 as compared with 2,918, 280,056 and 7,943, with a success of 54.18,
57.63 and 29.81, respectively, during 1916-17.
15. Inspections.—During the year Drs. S. N. Sur and S. P. Gupta,
Deputy Sanitary Commissioner of the Burdwan and Rajshahi Circles,
inspected 3,867 and 2,814 children, respectively, including old cases and
unprotected ones, and Dr. Brahmachari, Deputy Sanitary Commissioner.
Presidency Circle, inspected 4,081 children in Jessore district from 9th to
17th November 1917. These officers were on deputation almost from the
commencement of the vaccination season in connection with the hookworm
research work in the Jails in this Presidency, and could not therefore do
more vaccination inspection work. Dr. M. E. Sufi, Deputy Sanitary Commis-
sioner, Dacca Circle, was ill and had to go on long leave from 1st December
1917 He was unable to do any vaccination inspection during the year. The
Civil Surgeons saw altogether 67,551 cases or 4.18 per cent. of the total
operations performed in this Presidency. Three of them, viz., the Civil
Surgeons of Tipperah, Malda and Rajshahi, saw over 5,000 operations, 12
from 2,000 to 5,000,7 from 1,000 to 2,000 and 5 below 1,000 cases. The
Civil Surgeon of Dacca was unable to inspect any vaccination operation.
The vaccination Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors are supposed to have
inspected 1,047,271 cases or 64.86 per cent. of the total operations performed
in the Presidency, but it is doubtful whether these figures can be accepted
as accurate. As in previous years nearly all the Inspectors reported that
they inspected the work of all the vaccinators under them once during the
season, and that each Sub-Inspector inspected the vaccinators twice. These
statements may or may not be correct—at present there is no means of
checking them.
16. General Remarks.—Free vaccination was introduced in the Jalpai-
guri district at the cost of the District Board from the commencement of the
vaccination season for 1917-18, and it was continued in the 24-Parganas
district and in the Sadar Subdivision of the Bakarganj district. But the
experiments started in 1916-17 in the Bhanga thana of Faridpore was
discontinued during the year under report, as the people of the other parts of
the district refused payment of fees to the licensed vaccinators. It is a pity
that the District Board cannot see its way to introduce free vaccination for
the whole district. After attending the Boards' meetings and fully explaining