( 2 )
Garden Reach. The appointment of one more head vaccinator in the Tribu-
tary States accounts for the rise in the inspecting staff, and the entertainment
of a number of paid vaccinators in the famine-stricken areas and of licensed
vaccinators in some of the other districts, accounts for the increase in the
number of operators. The number of vaccinators working in mufassal munici-
palities and dispensaries fell off by eight. Inspection work was seriously affect-
ed by the employment on plague duty of the Covenanted Deputy Sanitary
Commissioners during the working season.
3. Number of Operations and Average per Operator.—The total number of
vaccinations performed rose from 2,293,655 to 2,319,536 and the average per
operator from 615 to 639. The increase is shared by 27 districts, and was
highest in the following:—
Muzaffarpur... ...
Darbhanga... ...
Khulna... ...
Faridpur... ...
Nadia... ...
Bhagalpur... ...
Cuttack... ...
Jessore... ...
Increase.
20,600
17,069
16,067
15,267
13,750
13,675
11,943
10,619
These results do credit to the officers concerned, especially as the prolonged
scarcity and dearness of food must have made the realisation of fees a matter of
considerable difficulty. Twenty four districts show a decrease, the most marked
decreases being in the following districts:—
Chittagong... ... ...
Shahabad
...
...
...
...
Noathali... ... ...
Dacca... ... ...
Bankura... ... ...
Mymensingh... ... ...
Dinajpur... ... ...
Political States... ... ...
Decrease.
26,237
21,579
17,721
12,898
11,511
10,516
8,857
7,661
The decrease in Chittagong is attributed to the cyclone and the storm-
wave that passed over the district in October 1897. In Shahabad it is ascribed
to the large number of vaccinations performed during the previous year and
also to the outbreak of small-pox during the year under report. The Lieuten-
ant-Governor agrees with the Sanitary Commissioner in refusing to accept this
explanation, since the prevalence of small-pox ought to act and ought to be
made to act as an additional stimulus to work. The decline in the other districts
is explained in some by the fact that vaccination work had been pushed on during
the previous year owing to outbreaks of small-pox; in others by the inability
of the people in their straitened circumstances to meet the cost of vaccination,
or by a combination of both causes. A severe outbreak of small-pox in some of
the States and the supply of reliable figures in the returns of others account
for the diminution in the Political States of Chota Nagpur. A Sub-Inspector
who used to run up totals by giving false figures has been dismissed.
4. Protection afforded to Infants.—In the statement showing the popula-
tion among which vaccination was performed, the figures differ from those of
last year in 8 districts, and in those of mufassal municipalities. The variations
are considerable in Rajshahi and Dinajpur, and in the Tributary States of
Orissa the population is shown as having diminished by over 200,000. No
explanation of this great difference has been given, nor is there any suggestion
that the field of vaccine operations was restricted during the year. The Sani-
tary Commissioner will be requested to supply this omission.
Taking the total population at 73,595,096, and calculating the birth-rate for
the Province, as in previous years, at 40 per mille, and deducting 500,707 as