REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
19
and be forbidden to leave it, except under superior orders; above all, a higher standard
of what constitutes protective vaccination should be established.
I was disappointed in not seeing any vaccination during my inspection of Sylhet this
year. I had allotted ten days to the district, and hoped to have got down south to
Maulavi Bázár by land, and to have seen vaccination in the villages en route. But
although I had given ample notice of my visit and its principal object, I found the
vaccinators absent, no knowledge of their precise locality, and very indefinite views of
inspection generally. In common with the Province at large, Sylhet was particularly
free from small-pox in 1885. Only 683 deaths were registered, compared with 2,646 in
1884, and 2,584 in 1883. Dr. Macnamara inspected a school at Rainagar, and among
75 boys found that 50 had been inoculated, 4 had had small-pox, and 21 were
vaccinated.
CACHAR.
Superintendence.
123. Dr. T. D'O. Partridge, Civil Surgeon, has been Superintendent of Vaccination
throughout the season. This is the first year in which
the duty has been taken by him in this district; but he has
had considerable previous experience in Dibrugarh and Sibságar.
Subordinate staff.
124. He had under his orders a staff of 15 operators, including one native inspector,
3 Provincial, 1 Municipal, and 6 Local Fund vaccinators, 3
Hospital-Assistants, and 1 compounder. This is a valuable
addition to the working party of 1884-85, and is no doubt due to the commendable
interest shown in vaccination by Mr. Kennedy, Deputy-Commissioner. The increase
consisted of 1 native inspector, 3 Local Fund vaccinators, and 2 Hospital-Assistants.
Results
125. Their combined operations have been most successful; and Mr. Kennedy, in
forwarding the report, attributes the results as entirely due
to Dr. Partridge taking a keen interest and in organising the
work in all parts of the district. In 1884-85 there was a total of 8,089 vaccinations, of
which 6,151 were successful. In 1885-86, the totals are 12,984 and 11,064 respectively.
These figures include the work done on tea-gardens, which seems to be peculiarly
successful and unique in Cachar. During this season 3,753 vaccinations took place
there; and of these 2,783, or 74.15 per cent., were good and protective.
Averages of successes
126. From Statement II. of the district report it is clear that all the operators
worked with energy, but in Hailákándi sub-division the
average is excellent. The proportion of successes varies
from a maximum of 94.59 per cent. to 80. There must be something wrong about these
averages, they ought to approach very closely in all the sub-divisions of one district and
under one inspection, if only a uniform standard of what constitutes " success" is
maintained. But this is just where the system fails. One officer judges a success what
another would register as failure.
Inspections.
127. Inspections also show a marked improvement. Last season there was
none to speak of, but this season the Civil Surgeon has
verified 942, and the native inspector 3,752; with a success-
ful average recorded above 90 per cent.
Lymph supply.
128. The lymph supply is reported to have been variable, but Mr. Kennedy writes
that complaints were less frequent than hitherto. Of the
English supply, four tubes only, out of 10, were good.
Inoculation.
129. Dr. Partridge is of opinion that inoculation is still general ; but he has only
the evidence of certain villagers, who say they prefer it to
vaccination. On the other hand, none appears to have been
actually discovered, and no outbreaks of small-pox were attributable to it during the
year. There was, in fact, no prevalence of the disease any where in Cachar ; the deaths
registered in 1885 having been 36 only, and the proportion 12 in every 100,000 of the
population.
Protection averages among school boys
130. There is no compulsory area under Act V. (B.C.) of 1880. Of 443 school-
boys examined, 206 were found inoculated, 195 vaccinated
27 had had small-pox, and 15 were altogether unprotected,
being the small ratio of 3.39 per cent. These figures are somewhat surprising; they
would have had more value if Dr. Partridge had mentioned that the boys had been
examined by himself, unselected, and without previous notice; and, after all, they represent
probably a sadr school of a municipality where a local vaccinator has been employed for
years, and has influence among the educated classes. What is required is to collect the
same statistics from half a dozen páthsálas in the rural areas of each sub-division.
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