10
TRIENNIAL REPORT ON VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEARS 1890-91 TO 1892-93.
Humanized lymph from Moulmein was supplied to the Medical Officers at Tavoy
and Mergui and to Christian Missionaries in the district.
The calf depot at Rangoon supplied Medical Officers of districts and others
with 95 jars (each jar containing paste for 50 operations) of vaccine paste, 289
tubes of humanized and 342 of calf lymph during the year.
Vaccine paste made by the Health Officer, Rangoon Municipality, from calf
lymph mixed with glycerine, remains active long enough to enable it to be sent to
all parts of the province, and it has been freely used. Vaccine paste prepared
with lanoline was also obtained from Bangalore and tested by Medical Officers
with varying success. Surgeon-Captain Basu, Civil Surgeon, Minbu, reports
that paste made with lanoline produced more constitutional disturbance than
human lymph, causing inflammation of the glands and eruption of boils. The
Civil Surgeon, M6nywa, remarks that this paste gave a large percentage of failures.
The experiments at Akyab and Moulmein with lanoline paste obtained from
Bangalore gave 76.6 and 86.5 per cent. of successes.
Instruction of Sayahs in Shan States.—With a view to extending vaccina-
tion in the Southern Shan States a scheme for the instruction of " sayahs "
(native medical practitioners) from the several States was proposed in June 1892.
This has been approved by the local Government. Under this scheme the Chief
of each petty State deputes one or more " sayahs " to receive instruction in vac-
cination from the Civil Surgeon, Fort Stedman, and when pronounced qualified,
they carry on vaccination in their own States. Government meets the cost of the
necessary vaccine requisites. The first" sayah" applied for instruction in October
last. Some difficulty was experienced at the beginning in meeting the demands
for lymph, as all supplies had to be sent from Rangoon. A stock of lymph by
arm-to-arm vaccination could not be maintained owing to the sparsely populated
country and the distance of the villages from each other. These difficulties were
increased by the " sayahs " applying to the Civil Surgeon, Fort Stedman, singly
and at irregular intervals for instruction ; but regular supplies of vaccine paste are
now sent direct from Bangalore, and proposals are now under consideration for
the establishment of a calf vaccine dep6t at Fort Stedman.
In all " sayahs " from 24 States have been taught to vaccinate and more are
expected. It is now difficult to find subjects for their practical instruction as
almost all the people in and about the headquarters station have been protected.
In marked contradistinction to the interest and activity displayed in the
matter of vaccination in the Southern Shan States is the want of progress in the
Northern Shan States. The Civil Surgeon attributes this to the constant trouble
between the Shans and Kachins, and to the fact of his being almost constantly
away from headquarters on tour with the Superintendent. These reasons fully
account for the unsatisfactory results which have been obtained. I suggested in
a letter dated March 1892 to the local Government that if the Superintendent of
the Northern Shan States requires the services of a Medical Officer when on tour,
a special officer be detailed for the duty. As the matter now stands the legi-
timate, work of the Civil Surgeon at headquarters is very sadly neglected.
My thanks are due to Dr. Sutherland, Health Officer, Rangoon Municipality,
for his willing help in the cultivation and distribution of bovine lymph and paste.
He had many serious difficulties to contend with during the year, not the least of
which was the boycotting of the Vaccine Department by the butchers of Rangoon
in consequence of the strict supervision exercised over the slaughter-house and
the rejection of unhealthy cattle.
P. W. DALZELL, M.B., SURGAN-MAJOR,
Offg. Sanitary Commissioner, and Superintendent-
General of Vaccination, Burma.
RANGOON:
The 16th June 1893.