72
VACCINATION IN OUDH.
[PartII.
Province.
Central Provinces ... ...
North-Western Provinces ...
Bombay
...
...
District.
3 Satpura Districts ...
Kumaon ...
Rohilcund Circle ...
Kathiawar „ ...
Sindh... ...
Population.
921,881
726,331
5,791,603
1,782,062
21,796,671
Successful
vaccinations
per 1,000 of
the popula-
tion.
41.4
51.8
11.1
38.9
321
Infauts vacci-
nated percent.
of estimated.
births.
57.1
45.5
10.0
41.2
45.2
* Births calculated at 36 per 1,000 of population.
It will be observed that the vaccination rates actually obtained in these districts with the
exception of Rohilcund are greatly in excess of what (on the assumption that the birth-rate of
this country is no higher than the English rate) could be kept up for a series of years. In
Kumaon, however, vaccination has been carried on for a long series of years to the extent of
completely protecting the people from small-pox, yet in the season of 1872-73 there were
found a number of children available for vaccination to the extent of 52 per 1,000 of the
population, and the average number of children successfully vaccinated in the three years
1870-71 to 1872-73 was 49 per 1,000 of the population. These vaccination rates, then,
corroborate the figures of the census and the statistics obtained from several of our towns,
and we are almost compelled to accept the conclusion that the birth-rate of India is
much above that of England, and that to keep small-pox out of any province or dis-
trict, the number of persons vaccinated annually must be equal to nearly 50 per 1,000
of the population.
Inspection and super-
vision.
There is ample evidence that the inspections and general supervision were
efficiently performed, and that the experiment of entrusting civil medical officers
with the charge of vaccine operations in their districts, wherever this can be
done, has been attended with a large measure of success; but the amount of
protection which it is possible to afford the population against the ravages of
small-pox in the different districts depends on the strength and efficiency of
the establishments which the local funds are able to support.
Small-pox.
From the Sanitary Report of the year it appears that 26,653 deaths from
small-pox took place within four years (1871—74), among a population of
7,426,604, or 3.58 per 1,00C, while the vaccinations performed within the
period bore a ratio per 1,000 of 55.65. The districts of Betul, Sambalpur,
Chindwara, and Seoni show very low death-rates from this cause, and the Chief
Commissioner thinks it may be safely affirmed that they owed their comparative
immunity to the vaccine operations of the last few years. The civil surgeon of
Seoni writes as follows of his district:—
On receipt of your circular No. 186, dated Nagpur, May 1st, and indeed all through
the season, I have been making frequent enquiries and closely observing the extent to which
vaccination has tended to check the spread of small-pox, and this is well marked in many
places. In several villages the disease some years ago was almost endemic, whereas in those
places it is now seldom met with, and then in isolated cases. The people themselves remarked
this, and brought it to my notice.
Attitude of the peo-
ple.
Nowhere does it appear that religious prejudices exist in these provinces
to oppose vaccination ; but on the contrary instances are adduced to prove that
not only is passive opposition being overcome, but the people here and there have
evinced a desire to secure the advantages offered.
Lymph supply.
Vaccination was kept up throughout the year at Nagpore, Seoni, Chindwara,
and Khundwa, and thus an ample supply of fresh lymph was ready for the
commencement of operations in November. To some districts, tubes of English
lymph received from Bombay were distributed, and they proved fairly successful.
Too early commence-
ment of the season
deprecated.
Dr. Townsend deprecates attempts to commence operations too early in
the season as being sure to result in waste of the lymph supply, and the vacci-
nators are then liable to be laid up with fever. November is the month he
advises for commencement. " It is," he adds, " better to begin a little later when
there is little or no risk from fever and prolong operations in the hot weather,
for, as far as my experience goes, operations in this part of the country are
quite as successful in April and May as in January."
Vaccination at Sa-
gar.
The civil medical duties at Sagar are assigned to the medical officer in
charge of one of the native regiments quartered there, but it does not appear
whether the work of the vaccinators there was inspected, or not.
VACCINATION IN OUDH.
Superintendence.
The vaccine department in Oudh was under the superintendence of
Dr. G. S. Sutherland, who furnishes a very brief report.