( 3 )
percentage (97.8), that raises the general average in inspectors' cases above that of
cases inspected by Civil Surgeons. The Chief Commissioner is glad to find that the
tendency to overestimate the success of vaccination is not universal among native
inspectors. Dr. Eteson comments on the great variety exhibited in their estimates. It
ought to be possible for Civil Surgeons to teach these men some few plain rules to regulate
their judgment. The Sibságar, Goálpára, and Sylhet figures seem to show that inspectors
are ready enough to take the cue from their official superiors, and to follow any standard
which the Civil Surgeon himself adopts. Cases inspected by Civil Surgeons were not
only somewhat more numerous than last year (15,336 against 14,788), but they were
far better distributed, every Civil Surgeon in the province taking a fair share in the work,
except in Lakhimpur, where Dr. Whitwell is said to have had much of his time taken up
in reading for his examination in Assamese. Last year two-fifths of the total number
of Civil Surgeons' inspections were due to the single district of Goálpára. Cases tested
by native inspectors nearly doubled their numbers (43,558 against 22,225 in 1884-85),
but the number of inspectors themselves has been increased from 5 to 8 by adding men
in Tezpur, Sibságar, and Silchar. There is now an inspector in every plains district,
except Sylhet, which has two, and Lakhimpur, where none has yet been provided. The
Nowgong man did less inspection work than last year: elsewhere the old inspectors
bettered their record, and the three new men show a fair average. Sylhet is the district
where the average stands highest, the two inspectors having tested 16,866 cases between
them. Goálpára and Kámrúp come next. The comparative density of population is
probably the main cause of these differences.
Vaccination staff.
6. The departmental staff of all kinds in each district
during 1885-86 has been as follows:—
Civil Surgeons...........................
Hospital-Assistant...........................
Inspector...........................
Provincial vaccinators...
Local Board ditto...
Municipal ditto...
Licensed ditto...
Total.........
Sylhet.
1
9
2
10
21
2
1
46
Cachar.
1
4
1
3
6
1
...
16
Goál-
pára.
1
2
1
1
5
1
9
20
Kám¬
rúp.
1
3
1
4
6
1
22
38
Dar¬
rang.
1
2
1
4
6
...
...
14
Now-
gong.
1
3
1
3
9
...
...
17
Sibsá-
gar.
2
4
1
3
13
3
...
26
Lakhim-
pur.
1
1
...
4
4
1
...
11
Khási
Hills.
1
4
...
3
...
...
...
8
Gáro
Hills.
1
1
...
6
...
...
...
8
Nága
Hills.
1
3
...
1
...
...
...
5
The Assistant Civil Surgeon at Jorhát is shown under the head of Civil Surgeons
against Sibságar. Hospital-Assistants include compounders.
Compared with the staff of 1884-85, there are 3 new inspectors in Darrang, Sibságar,
and Cachar; 3 more hospital-assistants; 30 more local board vaccinators, viz., 3 new
men in Kámrúp, 3 in Nowgong, 9 in Sibságar, 1 in Lakhimpur, 3 in Cachar, and 11 in
Sylhet; 1 new municipal vaccinator in Golághát; and 5 more licensed vaccinators, viz., 1
in Goálpára and 4 in Kámrúp. The number of vaccinators paid from provincial funds
remained unchanged. The whole staff now numbers 209, "against 169 the year before.
Work done by each class of operators.
7. All the grades of the staff participate more or less in the actual work of vaccina-
tion, as well as superintendence and inspection. But the
bulk of the work is done by the regular vaccinating staff,
while Civil Surgeons, inspectors, and hospital-assistants perform vaccinations only as
opportunity offers in the intervals of their other duties. The following table shows the
work done by each class of officers during 1885-86, as compared with the previous year:—
Civil Surgeons...........................
Hospital-Assistants .......
Inspectjors .............
Provincial vaccinators ....
Local Board „
...........
Municipal
„ .........
Licensed
„ ......
Total .............
1884-85.
Number
of
officers.
13
33
5
42
40
8
27
169
Number
of vacci-
nations.
2,902
3,988
1,617
40,814
26,486
4,146
15,319
95,282
Number
per
head.
224
121
323
971
662
518
567
563
Success¬
percent¬
age.
86.3
94.0
93.5
92.4
90.1
88.7
94.0
91.8
1885-86.
Number
of
officers.
12
36
8
42
70
9
32
209
Number
of vacci-
nations.
1,380
2,910
1,419
41,438
44,661
4,264
19,570
115,642
Number
per
head.
115
137
177
987
638
474
611
553
Success¬
percent¬
age.
90.0
85.3
89.1
91.4
89.3
88.8
91.5
90.3
The general result is, with a larger staff, a lower average of vaccinating work done
per officer. What may be called the medical staff, i.e., Civil Surgeons and hospital-
assistants, did considerably less work this year than the year before (4,290 cases, against
6,890). The main cause of the generally lower average, however, is the failure of the
new local board vaccinators to work up to last year's standard.