6
than in 1885-86. Taking the three tahsíls together the recorded fever death-
rate in 1885 was 37.4 and, in 1886, 37.1 per 1,000 ; and the number vaccinated
during 1885-86 in these tahsíls was 13,546, and during 1886-87 it was 7,900. I
do not therefore think it is proved that the greater prevalence of fever in 1886 was
the cause of the diminished number of vaccinations done in these tahsíls during
1886-87, if the fever mortality is to be taken as a measure of the amount of
fever that prevailed during the two seasons.
Regarding the Civil Surgeon's second alleged reason for the decrease, viz.,
" the prejudice of the people to accept vaccination," provided the vaccinators
showed the same judgment and tact during the present season that they showed
in 1885-86, I do not see why the people should have been more prejudiced than
they were in the previous year.
In the Jhelum district there were 2,868 fewer persons vaccinated than in
the previous season. The Civil Surgeon says that the cause of the decrease was
the greater prevalence of the practice of inoculation. There was a decrease of
2,515 vaccinations in the Gujrát district, as compared with the number done last
year. The Civil Surgeon says : " The following causes explain the lessened num-
ber of vaccinations done; (1) the introduction of vaccination direct from the
heifer throughout the district, entirely replacing the arm to arm method, neces-
sitating the loss of valuable time in making vaccinators familiar with the new
method; (2) the passive resistance of the vaccinators to the new method, and
the reduced number of operators, in consequence of the suspension, and ultimate
dismissal, of two vaccinators for disobedience of orders, and (3) many children
were left unvaccinated through early setting in of the hot weather; there being
no small-pox in those parts to warrant vaccination being continued."
The
third reason alleged by the Civil Surgeon does not seem to me to have much
force, as the weather was not too hot in the end of March to permit of success-
ful vaccination. In Jhang there was a decrease of 2,066 vaccinations ; regarding
this point the Civil Surgeon says : " That it was due to the increased prevalence
of small-pox, and to there being three persons engaged in practising inoculation
in the district." During the year 1886-87 there were 276 deaths reported from
small-pox in the Jhang district, and in 1885-86 there were only 16 deaths reported
from that cause.
The number vaccinated
at the different ages.
11. Of the 523,845 successful primary vaccinations, done by the District
Staff, 410,425 were cases of infants under one year of age,
and 111,135 were done on children between one and six
years of age. As noticed in last year's report the number of children between
one and six years of age, who were successfully vaccinated in the Kángra dis-
trict, was very large when compared with the number of infants vaccinated. In
that district there were 11,405 children between one and six years of age suc-
cessfully vaccinated, and only 6,822 infants under one year of age. It is also
worthy of remark that in the North-West Frontier, with the exception of Kohát,
the number of infants under one year of age successfully vaccinated, as compared
with the number successfully vaccinated between one and six years of age, is very
much smaller than the average for the Province. In Pesháwar there were 2,528
successfully vaccinated under 12 months, and between 1 and 6 years as many as
4,409; in Bannu the numbers were 4,559 and 4,621 ; in Dera Ismail Khan, 2,059
and 3,998 ; and in Dera Gházi Khan, 6,829 and 5,762 respectively.
The districts in which the ratio of persons suc-
-essfully vaccinated per 1,000 of population was
high.
Ratio per 1,000 of population of persons successfully
vaccinated.
Ferozepore district
Siálkot
„
Ráwalpindi
„
Dera G. Khan „
Gujránwála
„
Hoshiárpur
„
Gujrát
„
Mooltan
„
Per 1,000 of population.
35.47
35.23
34.81
34.69
34.57
34.51
33.90
33.21
12. In the 16th column of Statement No. I are given the ratios of persons
successfully vaccinated per 1,000 of popu-
lation. In the margin, the districts, with
their ratios, that stand at the top of the
list are appended. The ratio is highest in
Ferozepore with 35.47 per 1,000 of popula-
tion, the average ratio for the previous
five years having been only 30.50 per
1,000. Siálkot district stands second with
35.23, the ratio for the previous five years
having been as high as 37.31 per 1,000.
As a rule the ratio of vaccinations done in
the Frontier districts is low ; it is, therefore, very gratifying to find that in Dera