3
Statement V.
The statement shows a very large difference in the number of operations
each vaccinator does in different districts, the average per man being as high
as 6,300 and 6,201 in Ráwalpindi and Gurdáspur, and as low as 1,603 and
1,500 in Delhi and Kohát respectively; the figures for Simla are still lower, but
the district is an exceptional one. The high averages seem in some instances to
be largely swollen by re-vaccinations. Thus in Ráwalpindi there were one-third
more re-vaccinations than vaccinations, and in Gurdáspur re-vaccinations exceed-
ed vaccinations in number. But as the percentage of success in re-vaccinations
was as high as 76.58 in Ráwalpindi and reached
50.27 in Gurdáspur,* it would appear that they
had not been indiscriminately performed.
* Appendix A, page ix.
There seems reason to fear that in some districts like Bannu and
Gurgaon the necessity for judicious re-vaccination may have somewhat
been lost sight of. Dr. James in his report
remarks* that the orders against re-vaccination
in some cases had the effect of preventing vaccinators from doing any re-vaccina-
tion at all. This was not intended, and care should be taken that re-vaccinations,
wherever necessary, are performed.
Paragraph 15.
6. With reference to the falling-off in the number of operations performed
by the Special Staff, the Deputy Sanitary Commis-
sioner explains in his report that frequent calls on
the Special Staff dislocated their work and necessitated their spending time,
which they would otherwise have spent in work, in travelling. The Special
Staff were also employed in places in going over again tracts of country, where
small pox was prevalent, which had already been vaccinated, but regarding which
there were doubts as to whether the vaccinations had been as complete as possible,
and this naturally decreased the number of cases done by them.
Paragraph 18 and Statement B III.
7. In regard to dispensary vaccination, the Lieutenant-Governor observes
that in only 12 out of 31 districts did the
Dispensary Staff perform any vaccinations The
number of vaccinations this year is better distributed over the various districts
than last year, but much more might be done in dispensaries. The reason given
for so little having been done by the officers in charge cannot be consdered
satisfactory or creditable to them.
Paragraphs 20.21.
8. The blue line in the diagram exhibiting the death-rate from small-pox
and the proportion of successful vaccinations should
show, in future, not the average annual mortality
from small-pox for the previous five years, but the average annual death-rate from
that disease per 10,000 of population for the period indicated.
As the diagram is now prepared it is difficult to see from it at a glance the
remarkable contrast that the best vaccinated districts and the other districts
present, but from working out the figures it appears that for the years 1890-91
to 1894-95 the average death-rate from small-pox per 10,000 in the 12 best
protected districts (Kángra to Gujránwála in diagram opposite paragraph 20 of
Report) has been 1.3, while in the 19 other districts it has been 4.5.
Paragraph 25.
9. With reference to the desirability of the use of animal lymph, it is to be
regretted that the Sanitary Commissioner finds
that the difficulty in obtaining buffalo calves for
vaccination purposes is increasing. In spite of this difficulty, however, buffalo
lymph seems to be making very satisfactory progress ; for with a generally increas-
ing number of vaccinations the percentage of vaccinations from animal lymph has
been steadily rising for the last three years, and is now what it was in 1892-93.
The figures are —
1892-93 ... ...
1893-94 ... ...
1894-95 ... ...
1895-96 ... ...
Total vaccinations and
re-vaccinations.
826,481
1,058,805
909,842
923,175
Percentage animal
lymph.
93
80
88
93