6
the Assistant Superintendents of Vacci-
nation and 87.8 per cent. primary and
34.5 per cent. revaccinations by the
Municipal Inspecting
Officers. The
highest percentage of primary cases
(14.32) was inspected by the district
Health Officer of Chittagong and that of
revaccinations (6.44) by the Hooghly
District Health Officer. The District
Health Officer of the 24-parganas could
only inspect .07 per cent. primary and
.02 per cent. revaccinations. Inspection
by Municipal Supervisors was worst in
Burdwan, where only 7.51 per cent. of
primary and 1.65 per cent. of revaccina-
tions were inspected.
In the rural
areas, the highest percentage of primary
cases (155.2) was inspected by the
Assistant Superintendents of Vaccina-
tion, Howrah and that of revaccinations
(128.8) by those of the Chittagong Hill
Tracts. In this connection, it may be
noted that the results of vaccination
operations as reported in the returns are
extremely unreliable and unless a vigil-
ant care is exercised by the superior
supervising authorities, there is no hope
of any accuracy in such information.
A branch vaccination centre has recently
been opened at the Bengal Vaccine
Depôt, and as soon as sufficient data are
available, a fair index of the correct-
ness or otherwise of the results of oper-
ations performed in the mufassal will be
at the disposal of the Bengal Public
Health Department.
16. Bengal Vaccine Depôt.—The total
number of calves vaccinated in the Bengal
Vaccine Depot during 1925-26 was 2,654,
against 2,440 and 2,272 during the two
preceding years and the quantity of
lymph
manufactured was 2,470,607
grains
against
1,975,780
grains
and 1,694,180 grains in the two previous
years. The average of the triennial
period was, therefore, 2,455 calves and
2,046,856 grains of lymph, against 2,498
calves and 1,210,711 grains of lymph
during the previous triennium. The total
output during the year, including 21,471
grains left over from the previous year,
amounted to 2,492,078 grains; of which
2,477,815 grains were issued to the
various local bodies against 2,029,178
grains and 1,764,339 grains during the
two preceding years and a balance of
14,263 grains left in hand at the close of
the season. Of the total issue during the
year, 2,464,108 grains were glycerinated
and 13,707 grains lanolinated lymph.
The average yield of pulp per calf was
204.29 grains against 182.14 grains of
the preceding year. Owing to the heavy
demand from the local bodies on account
of the prevalence of the smallpox
epidemic, chloroformation of lymph was
resorted to as a routine procedure.
17. General Remarks.—(a) During
the year under review, the post of one of
the Special Inspectors of Vaccination
having fallen vacant due to the resigna-
tion of its temporary incumbent, the
department was able to secure the services
of a medical graduate possessing the
Diploma in Public Health and with
special training in and
practical
experience of bacteriological work. I
am so much impressed with the activities,
in connection with the vaccination affairs
of several local bodies during the last
quinquennial epidemic of smallpox, of
these Special Inspectors, of which the
department employs only two at present,
that I venture to advert again this year
to the proposal embodied in my last year's
report, viz., the appointment of one such
officer for every division.
With the
transfer of the vaccination staff to the
District Boards, which has been sanc-
tioned by the local Government to take
effect from the 1st March 1927, the chief
duty of the vaccination bureau will lie
in the direction of a close scrutiny of the
working of the Vaccination Act, the
Births and Deaths Registration Act and
other allied Acts in the areas to which
they have been extended, the object being
to ensure as far as possible the protection
of the majority against smallpox in
primary cases if not in revaccination,
which is still voluntary. It is extremely
regrettable that only about 270 cases per
mille of the estimated available infants
were successfully vaccinated during the
last year, the remaining 730 per mille
being either unsuccessfully vaccinated or
not vaccinated at all. And this has been
going on year after year, chiefly due to
the laxity in the enforcement of the provi-
sions of the Acts which make infant
vaccination compulsory. To accomplish
the object mentioned above, it seems
necessary that the bureau should have at
least five specially qualified officers at its
disposal, and thus be in a position to
strengthen the first line of defence against
the onslaught caused on the lives of the
people of Bengal by the periodical
recurrence of smallpox epidemics.
(b) Vaccination of contacts, so impera-
tively essential during an epidemic of
smallpox and revaccination equally
important on all occasions have been
sadly neglected, and the inability of the