6
TRIENNIAL REPORT ON VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEARS 1908-09 TO 1910-11.
should in future be performed by the Civil Surgeons only when inspection of
Hospitals and Dispensaries in their districts is being carried out.
Evidently this circular is still in operation and has not been cancelled as it is
quoted by a Civil Surgeon in his vaccination report for the present season as his
reason for not carrying out more inspection work. The results of this circular are
that preventive medicine is looked on as of minor consequence in a Civil Surgeon's
work, and that the sanitation and water-supply of rural areas (except in the direct
route from Dispensary to Dispensary) can receive little attention.
Civil Surgeons state that they cannot leave their Headquarters as—
(1) The country is rough and difficult to travel over, and more than ten
days are required on tour for the accomplishment of any satisfactory
inspection.
(2) Europeans at headquarters cannot be left in the medical charge of Sub-
Assistant Surgeons for any length of time.
These objections are met with by the obvious answer—that if Assistant
Surgeons are attached to Headquarters Hospitals the Superintendent of Vaccira-
tion might proceed on a prolonged tour with the knowledge that his patients
are in good hands.
Until this measure is taken and as long as verification is left entirely in
the hands of Native Superintendents of Vaccination, without supervision, the
returns must be looked on with suspicion.
As regards primary cases the percentage of inspection by Civil Surgeons to
the total number of vaccinations in 1910-11 was 10.69 as compared with 10.42
and 9.79 in 1909-10 and 1908-09, respectively. The small work done by the
Civil Surgeons with headquarters at smaller towns can be appreciated by
the following figures: —Toungoo 3 inspections in the year or .05 per cent.;
Kyauksè total inspections 156 or 3.59 per cent.; Prome 3.98 per cent.; Tharra-
waddy 4.24 per cent.; Kyaukpyu 4.03 per cent.; and Ruby Mines nil. The
highest percentages of inspection were performed at Shwebo 34.27 ; Tavoy
33.95 ; Thatôn 32.69 and Lower Chindwin 31.42.
Verification by Native Superintendents of Vaccination.
Statement
V.
Native Superintendents of Vaccination were appointed in 1906. The
increase in their work is apparent in Statement V appended to the report.
During the present triennium there has been a steady increase in the number
of inspections recorded by Native Superintendents of Vaccination.
The percentage of inspections to the total number vaccinated was in 1910-11
53.06 per cent., as regards primary vaccination and 45.45 per cent, as regards
re-vaccination against 50.96 per cent. and 49.21 per cent. in 1909-10 and 40.84
per cent. and 39.75 per cent. in 1908-09. The average per cent. for the triennial
period under report was primary vaccination 48.36 per cent. and re-vaccination
44.81 per cent.
22. Vaccine Depôts.—There are now three vaccine depôts in Burma at
Meiktila, at Rangoon and at Loimwe.
TABLE F.
Years.
1908-09 ...
1909-10 ...
1910-11
...
Calves.
271
300
316
Quantity of lymph
in ounces.
179.2
196.4
195.0
Average yield per
calf in grains.
239.3
286.4
270.0
Number of cases of
lymph issued.
529,189
14,644
613,444
The latter depôt was opened during the past year, as owing to the situation
of Loimwe in the far interior of
the Southern Shan States lymph
from the Meiktila Depôt took 25
to 30 days in delivery. At
this new depôt, one calf is vac-
cinated per month ; and lanoline
lymph is manufactured, which
has yielded much better results
than the lymph formerly used. The above table shows the number of calves used
and the average yield of lymph at Meiktila during the triennium. The charge
of the Depôt has been in the hands of Captain Dougan and the excellent
work done by that officer can be gathered from the following report. The
quality of the lymph has been good, 254,116 cases of primary vaccination
yielded 95.92 per cent. success as compared with 94.9 in 1909-10 and 91.2 in
1908-09. Re-vaccination numbered 21,798 cases and showed a percentage of 67.94
success. The introduction of lanoline lymph for use in districts situated at remote
distances from the Depôt has been attended with marked success. At Akyab,
lanoline vaccine gave 94.2 per cent. success as compared with glycerine lymph