OF THE PROVINCE OF ASSAM.
7
sanctioned: these will be put up in 11 packets of 20 tubes each and despatched from
England so as to reach India not later than the 1st September 1882, and as soon as
these packets are received by me, I will at once distribute them to the several district
medical officers.
I have also placed myself in communication with the Sanitary Commissioner,
Bombay, in the hope of obtaining from him a small supply of calf or animal lymph at
the commencement of next vaccination season. I entertained at one time the hope of
raising animal or calf lymph myself, but as the procedure is somewhat complicated
and in the absence of an establishment of any kind I doubt if I shall succeed in doing so
at present.
I would suggest to Civil Surgeons, as in all probability practicable, the advisability
of their securing vaccine lymph in capillary tubes, or on ivory points, at or towards the
end of the next vaccination season, and sending such supply as they are assured is of
good and undoubted quality to me. The capillary tubes hermetically sealed might be
secured in small pieces of bamboo with a pledget of cotton wool at the end and then
sealed. The ivory points, properly charged, should be slowly dried and then placed in a
small two-drachm bottle, in the bottom of which a little cotton-wool has been previously
placed, and a morsel of cotton-wool is to be put into the bottle before closing it with an
accurately-fitting cork. These, when received, I woud keep stored in a cool place until
the next vaccination season, when I would distribute to the Medical Officers to whom
they might belong, and I see no reason why pure good lymph so secured may not be
preserved during the hot season at Shillong, and be ready at hand when the vaccination
work begins.
The sources whence lymph was supplied
during the past vaccination season.
13. The following abstracts from the reports of medical officers show the sources
from which the lymph was supplied during the past season,
and the success of the various supplies :—
Shillong.—From Sanitary Commissioners, Bengal and Punjab. In each case the
supply at first was a failure, but further supplies proved successful. Also a few tubes of
English lymph from Sanitary Commissioner, Assam, which turned out good and of
excellent quality.
Tura.—From the Superintendents of Vaccination, Darjeeling and Eastern Bengal
Circle. The latter proved the most successful; a few tubes also from the Sanitary Commis-
sioner, Assam.
Dhubri.—Lymph was obtained from six different sources. The lymph supplied by
the Sanitary Commissioner of Bengal was found best of all. A good supply also was
obtained from Naini Tal, through the Sanitary Commissioner of the North-Western
Provinces.
Kámrúp.—From Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal and Almorah depôt. The lymph
from these two sources proved successful. A few tubes of English lymph from the
Sanitary Commissioner, Assam, gave excellent results.
Nowgong.—From Sanitary Commissioners, Bengal, North-Western Provinces, Second
Circle, North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and from England by private importation 12
tubes: that from North-West proved the best.
Tezpur.—From the Sanitary Commissioners, Bengal and North-Western Provinces,
and also from England by private arrangement. All failed.
Sibságar.—From Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal, and Superintendent of Vaccination,
Darjeeling Circle and Almorah, and also two tubes from Europe (which were unsuccess-
ful). The lymph received from Bengal proved a failure.
Kohima.—From Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal, and Superintendent of Vac-
cination, Sonthal Parganas. All proved successful.
Lakhimpur.—From Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal. Lymph supplied in tubes
reported not good. The crusts were better.
Sylhet.—From Sanitary Commissioner, North-Western Provinces, and Superintendent,
Darjeeling Circle. Result satisfactory.
Cachar.—From the Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal. The first supply was not good,
but a further supply turned out good. A few tubes also of English lymph supplied by
Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal. Good.
Rules for the guidance of vaccinators.
14. I earnestly invite the attention of all medical officers to the rules for vaccinators in
Appendix A of this Report. The rules, as therein laid down
by the Privy Council as a guidance for vaccinators, are
worthy of careful study, not only by medical men and vaccinators, but by every one
interested in the success of vaccination. These same rules may be found in the pamphlet
"The Truth about Vaccination" which I recommended to the notice of medical officers of this
province last year. I cannot too emphatically urge the attention of every one concerned to