Proceedings of the Hon'ble the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in the Home (Medical and Sanitary)
Department, No. 386, dated 16th August 1888.
READ—
The Report on Vaccination in the Punjab for the official year 1887-88 by Surgeon-Major
W. A. C. Roe, Officiating Sanitary Commissioner, Punjab.
REMARKS.—Under the terms of the Resolution of the Government of
India, No. 28—1579-95, dated 15th July 1887, a full report on vaccination
operations is only required every third year. The Officiating Sanitary Com-
missioner has therefore confined himself to brief notes on the figures in the
prescribed statements.
2. The progress during the year may certainly be said to be satis-
factory, seeing that in all 680,742 vaccinations were performed against
627,313 the year before, or an increase of 53,429. Of the number of opera-
tions performed, 374,056 were males and 306,686 females. All but 55,198 were
primary operations and the percentage of successful vaccinations of this class,
95.22, is very slightly higher than last year.
3. The total cost of the Department amounted to Rs. 67,906, or
Rs. 1,744 less than in 1886-87, due, it is stated, to the absence on furlough
of the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner. The average cost for each successful
vaccination was Re, 0-1-9, or 2 pies less than in the preceding year.
4. The district which shows the largest increase of work is Amritsar,
and that which shows the largest decrease is Ráwalpindi. The decrease in
Jhelum and Lahore is also marked, but no explanation of this is afforded.
5. The special Cantonment and Dispensary staff seem to have worked
well, and in the case of each an increase is shown in the work done as com-
pared with the year before. The special staff particularly did good work, per-
forming 34,098 operations more than in last year.
6. The important Native States of Patiála, Baháwalpur, Nábha,
Kapurthala, Farídkot and Jínd continue to pay attention to vaccination.
Patiála, with a total of 37,164 operations, stands conspicuously ahead of
the others, but nearly 14,000 for Baháwalpur and 10,000 for Kapurthala
must also be considered satisfactory.
7. Civil Surgeons and their Assistants inspected 85,365 persons vacci-
nated, and Native Superintendents 349,405. This shows that inspection on
the part of the latter has fallen off considerably.
8. Fourteen districts adopted the use of animal lymph to a greater or
less degree. In the district of Gujrát and cities of Amritsar and Lahore the
plan was carried out on an extensive scale. Buffalo lymph seems to be becom-
ing popular and Dr. Roe thinks its further use will prove highly satisfactory.
9. During the year under review the plan of allowing vaccinators to
distribute simple medicines to the people was continued. The results attained
at a comparatively trifling cost are held by the Lieutenant-Governor to justify
the further continuance of the practice.
10. The Vaccination Act (XIII of 1880) having been extended to
Simla by Punjab Government Notification No. 486, dated the 3rd of October
1887, draft rules for regulating vaccination operations in the town of Simla are
under consideration.
11. For six months, that is from April to October, the Sanitary Com-
missioner was without a Deputy owing to the absence on leave of Surgeon-
Major J. O'Neill, and during this period Pandit Bálkishen was employed as
Deputy Superintendent of Vaccination.