MEDICAL & MUNICIPAL
DEPT.
SANITATION.
CALCUTTA, THE 30TH SEPTEMBER 1881.
RESOLUTION.
READ—
The Report by the Sanitary Commissioner for Bengal, on Vaccination, during the
year 1880-81.
Read also—
The Report of the year 1879-80, and the orders of Government recorded thereon.
The orders of the Government of India, directing that the supervision of
the Vaccination Department should form one of the duties of the Sanitary
Commissioner, were carried into effect in Bengal on the 3rd May 1880, when
Dr. Lidderdale took charge of the department from the Surgeon-General.
The report for the year 1879-80 was not received until six months after the close
of the year; but as the department had during the year been in charge of the
Surgeon-General, it was considered desirable that he should write the report.
The present report for the year 1880-81 is thus the first submitted under the
new arrangement. The report which is dated the 30th July was written by
the Sanitary Commissioner, Dr. Lidderdale, before he proceeded on leave, but
it only reached Government on the 17th August.
2. The following were the chief features of the operations of the depart-
ment during the past year. In the metropolitan circles the licensed system was
more strictly enforced and localized, and the system was extended to the
districts of Julpigoree and Pubna in the Darjeeling and Eastern Bengal Circles
respectively, an additional area of 4,884 square miles and a population of
1,630,259 being thus brought within the range of the licensed agency. In
addition to this, systematic vaccination by Government agency was extended
to the Terai, to five thanas in the Purneah district, six than as in Mymensingh,
and three thanas in Patna, the total area of the tracts brought within the opera-
tions of the Government agency being 5,260 square miles, and the total popula-
tion 2,354,615. Including the operations of both systems protection was thus
offered during the past year to an additional area of 10,144 square miles and
an additional population of 3,984,874. The total number of operations per-
formed by the department or under its supervision and authority was
1,394,312, as compared with 1,742,995 in 1879-80, 1,315,884 in 1878-79, and
1,285,301 in 1877-78, so that although there was a falling off as compared
with 1879-80, the total outturn of work was better than in either of the two
preceding years. Of the whole number of operations 803,545 were performed
by licensed vaccinators, 535,467 by the Government staff, and 55,300 by
municipal and dispensary vaccinators. There is no doubt also a good deal of
vaccination performed by unlicensed practitioners not under the control or
supervision of the Vaccination Department, but the work of these unauthorized
operators is generally of such an unsatisfactory character that it serves rather
as a hindrance than as an aid to the operations of the department. As, however,
has already been explained in the Government orders of the 7th May 1879,
it is impossible for Government to interfere with unlicensed vaccinators. If
the licensed vaccinators do their work well and only take the authorized fees
they should have a great advantage over unlicensed practitioners.