Proceedings of the Hon'ble the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in the Home (Medical and Sanitary)
Department, No. 371, dated 22nd July 1891.
READ—
Note on Vaccination in the Punjab for the official year 1890-91, by
Surgeon-Major
A. Stephen, M.A., M.B.
* Year.
Number of
vaccinations.
1887-88
...
...
...
1888-89...
...
...
1889-90
...
...
...
1890-91
...
...
...
680,742
942,295
934,140
850,142
†1888-89
...
...
...
1889-90
...
...
...
240,784
183,691
424,475
REMARKS.—The appended statement, marked A, gives the strength of the
Vaccination establishment and also details of the work performed by it. For
the purposes of easy comparison similar information is given for the year
1889-90. At first sight it would seem as though there had been a falling-off
in the outturn of work by the Department
during the year under review. The decrease,
however, is accounted for by the fact that the
number of operations performed in the years*
1888-89 and 1889 90 was quite exceptional
owing to special efforts made in the Kángra District, where the District
Board engaged the services of Pandit Bál Kishen, an ex-member of the
Provincial staff, with the result that 424,475 vaccinations (primary and re-
vaccinations) were returned as having been per-
formed in that district alone during the two years
1888-89—1889-90,† while in the year 1890-91
only 20,413 persons were vaccinated in the
Kángra District by District staff. There was a small increase in the number
of vaccinations performed by the Cantonment and Special staffs, amounting in
all to 2,598, and there was a decrease of 657 in the number of operations
performed by the Dispensary staff. The Lieutenant-Governor will be glad to
see the Dispensary agency more fully utilised, if the Sanitary Commissioner
can make suitable arrangements without detriment to the other duties of the
Dispensary staff. The work done by the Dispensary staff was the subject of
unfavourable comment in paragraph 5 of the Remarks on the Vaccination Note
for the year 1888-89.
2. Each of the four staffs shows a falling-off in the number of primary
vaccinations performed in the year 1890-91 as compared with the previous
year. The District staff shows the large decrease of 38,869. If the Kángra
figures are left out of the calculation the total decrease is reduced to 28,150.
The Sanitary Commissioner attributes this falling-off to the great mortality
among infants during the autumn months. The year was the most unhealthy
known in the Province since vital statistics have been prepared, and the rate of
mortality the highest on record.
3. It is satisfactory that considerable attention was paid to re-vaccina-
tion, but the Lieutenant Governor regrets that the Sanitary Commissioner
believes that many children have been unnecessarily re-vaccinated. In the
Report on the Police Administration for the year 1890, as regards one district,
Rohtak, the increase of offences under the head of Criminal Force has been
explained as principally due to assaults committed on Vaccinators, and if these
officers attempt to perform unnecessary operations, it is only natural that their
action should be resented. His Honor therefore agrees with the Sanitary
Commissioner that the careful attention of Civil Surgeons should be invited to
the matter.
4. Inspection work was carried out during the year by the Sanitary
Commissioner, Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, Civil Surgeons, Assistant
Surgeons and Native Supervisors. The Lieutenant-Governor is aware that
there are difficulties in the way of inspection work being effectively carried out,
but he thinks that on the whole fairly good inspection duty was done. The
work examined by Dr. Stephen was good, but he had to punish two Vaccinators
for bad work. In this connexion it may be observed that His Honor noticed