4
REPORT ON VACCINATION IN BENGAL
Dewangunge and Jamalpore in the district of Mymensing, under the Eastern
Bengal Circle; and into thanas Barh, Futwa and Mussoorie in the district
of Patna, under the Behar Circle. These areas cover 5,260 square miles and
contain 2,354,615 inhabitants.
Thus on the whole protection was offered to a new tract of country-
extending over 10,144 square miles, and containing a population of 3,984,874.
Operations with the lancet superseded that by the needle in the Ranchi
Circle this year to a large extent.
The division of work among the Deputy Superintendents in the Metro-
politan Circles was not well arranged, and the plan of operations pursued in
the Ranchi Circle was most unsystematic and very bad. My remarks on these
points will be found in the abstracts of the reports of these circles.
I might here mention that in July the Commissioner of Chota Nagpore
and Deputy Commissioner of Lohardugga requested the services of the vaccin-
ators of the Ranchi Circle as census enumerators in February 1881. As
their services could not possibly be given for the purpose, inasmuch as it would
lead to the loss of all living stocks of vaccine lymph, and consequently to the
suspension of vaccine operations during perhaps two months—February and
March—out of the short working season, I was compelled to refuse the request.
Source and character of the lymph
employed
12. Generally tube lymph was employed to start with, or it was
maintained from the previous year's operations
during the recess, and then kept up by arm-to-arm
vaccination. When the arm-to-arm process was objected to, tube lymph or
crusts were employed. All the Superintendents report that the virus used this
year was good and successful in raising typical vesicles, except that the
Superintendents of the Darjeeling and Metropolitan Circles report that
the English lymph failed. In the Metropolitan Circles vaccinifers were
therefore taken from Calcutta. In the Darjeeling Circle, moreover, some of the
vaccinators allowed their lymph to die out, and in some cases the obstinacy
of the villagers prevented its being transferred from arm-to-arm.
The lymph required for the municipalities, dispensaries, and some other
places was supplied from this office. This consisted of tube lymph imported
from England, and country lymph, also in tubes, of which, as well as of crusts,
weekly or fortnightly supplies were received during the working season from
the Darjeeling, Eastern Bengal and Metropolitan Circles, chiefly from the last-
named circle. In this way 250 applications were met and 650 tubes and 718
crusts supplied. The demands from some places out of the jurisdiction of
Bengal were also acceded to, such as from Candahar, Cawnpore, Bhurrut-
pore, Cashmere, Penang, Rangoon, Port Blair, Nepal, Dhubri, Nowgong,
Tezpore, Seebsagor, Debrooghur, Gowalpara, Shillong, and the Joudpore and
Joypore Raj dispensaries. Supplies were also sent for the troops at Fort
William, Barrackpore and Dum-Dam, and to a tea estate at Kurseong.
WORK OF THE YEAR
Total number of operations per.
formed.
13. The subjoined table shows the total number
of vaccinations performed during the year as com-
pared with the results of the preceding year:—
Calcutta
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Metropolitan Circles
...
...
...
...
...
Suburbs of Calcutta
...
...
...
...
...
Total of Metropolitan Circles
...
...
Darjeeling Circle
...
...
...
...
...
Ranchi Circle
...
...
...
...
...
...
Sonthal Pergunnahs Circle
...
...
...
...
Eastern Bengal Circle
...
...
...
...
...
Orissa Circle
...
...
...
...
...
...
Behar Circle
...
...
...
...
...
...
TOTAL OF VACCINATION CIRCLES
... ...
Dispensaries and Municipalities
...
...
GRAND TOTAL ...
TOTAL NUMBER OF VACCIN-
ATIONS PERFORMED
In 1880-81.
6,085
384,216
15,691
399,907
344,071
147,694
87,872
294,540
44,507
14,336
1,339,012
55,300
1,394,312
In 1879-80.
12,397
625,388
25,395
650,783
373,549
164,808
113,953
306,066
43,733
11,061
1,676,350
66,645
1,742,995
DIFFERENCE IN
1880-81.
Increase.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
774
3,275
......
......
......
Decrease.
6,312
241,172
9,704
250,876
29,478
17,114
26,081
11,526
......
......
337,338
11,345
348,683