30
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS BY SUPERINTENDENTS.
operations shall be under the control and subject to the inspection of the Superintendent
of Vaccination, Metropolitan Circles. The Superintendent is of opinion that under the
Compulsory Act and the public vaccine station system, the number of vaccinations
will fall off for the first two or three years or more. His reasons are that the
lower classes of the people, especially the up-country Hindustanis, are yet opposed
to vaccination, and will not bring their children to the vaccine stations, and they have
therefore to be sought out, talked over, and sometimes a little pressure has to be put
upon them to induce them to cause their children to be vaccinated ; that the vaccinators
have to hunt up the unprotected children and bring them to the depôts for vaccination ;
that they have, under the Act, to report and prosecute people who refuse to attend to the
notice served on them to get themselves vaccinated ; that if the vaccinator fails to prove
his case by not being able to tender evidence that notices had been served on the recusant
parties, he is liable to pay compensation to the person brought up for trial; and that these
procedures cause the vaccinators to lose much time and submit to a great deal of trouble.
Amount and value of work perform-
ed during the year,
44. The subjoined table furnishes information as to the
amount and value of the work performed during the year
as compared with that of the preceding year :—
In 1880-81
Suburbs of Calcutta...
...
...
Cooly
depôts...
...
Total...
In 1879-80—
Suburbs of
Calcutta...
...
Cooly
depôts...
...
...
Total...
Total number vac-
cinated during
the year.
9,392
6,299
15,691
10,736
14,659
25,395
Primary vaccin-
ations.
Total.
8,151
384
8,535
7,082
812
7,894
Success-
ful.
8,114
384
8,498
7,026
812
7,838
Re-vaccin-
ations.
Total.
1,241
5,915
7,156
3,660
13,847
17,507
Success-
ful.
258
1,020
1,278
766
2,129
2,895
Percentage of
successful cases.
Primary.
99.54
100
99.56
99.20
100
99.29
Re-vaccin-
ations.
20.78
17.24
17.85
20.92
15.37
16.53
Average number of
persons vaccin-
ated by each
vaccinator.
722
700
1,207
1,074
1,466
2,540
The figures show that there was a very considerable reduction in the total number of vaccin-
ations, but that the quality of the work was satisfactory. The falling off, it will be seen,
was entirely in the number of the re-vaccinations, particularly in the cooly depôts, the
primary vaccinations showing on the whole an. increase. This decrease is said to be due
chiefly to diminished activity in inland emigration, traceable to the question of emigration
to Assam and Cachar having been under the consideration of Government during the year,
and leading to a doubt as to whether the depôt system would be continued. Hence one
depôt was closed during the year, and the proprietors of the others did not procure the large
supplies of emigrants they used to do before. The falling off of re-vaccinations in the
suburbs is referred to the absence of epidemic outbreaks of small-pox, which consequently
did not cause the panic which generally frightens the people to resort to vaccination. The
Superintendent states that some of the bustees, such as the Gungaram bustee in Bhowanipore
and Haripara in Entally, which were very backward in vaccination, were sufficiently protected
during the last season. There occurred several cases of small-pox in the last named bustee,
which stimulated the vaccinators to greater exertion.
Inspections.
45. Altogether 5,720 operations, exclusive of the work performed in the cooly depôts, were
inspected and verified during the year. Of this number
962 cases, or 10.24 per cent. of the total vaccinations, were
seen by the Superintendent, and 3,965 cases, or 42.21 per cent., by the three Deputy Super-
intendents who were in office during the year. Besides, the head vaccinators are believed
to have seen almost every case.
Sex of the vaccinated.
46. The following table furnishes particulars in connection with the sex of the vaccinated.
It does not include the figures of the coolie depôts, where
the numbers of the male and female vaccinations were not
recorded. Steps have, however, been taken to do so in future :—
Suburb of Calcutta ... In 1880-81 ...
In 1879-80 ...
Population.
Males.
151,011
151,011
Females.
106,138
106,138
Total number vaccin-
ated during the
year.
9,392
10,736
Sex of
the vaccinated.
Males.
5,218
*3,672
Females.
4,174
*3,404
Proportion per
cent. to
total vaccinated.
Male.
55.55
34.20
Female.
44.44
31.71
Proportion per
cent to
population.
Male.
3.45
2.43
Female.
3.93
3.20
* Excluding 3,660 repetition cases, of which the sex of the persons operated on has not been recorded.