REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
13
Expenditure.
50. The budget grant for Darrang amounted to Rs. 1,484, and the actual expendi-
ture to Rs. 1,468-6. This is as it should be. No difficulty
was found in procuring operators; their training was carefully
supervised by the Civil Surgeon himself; the travelling allowances are most reasonable.
The average cost of each successful paid operation was 2 annas and 81/3 pies; while, inclusive
of the unpaid vaccinations performed by the licensee, compounder, Hospital-Assistants,
and Civil Surgeon, the average cost was 2 annas 3 pies only.
SIBSÁGAR.
Superintendence and staff.
51. Assistant-Surgeon A. P. Ghosh, Officiating Civil Medical Officer, was superin-
tendent of vaccine operations in Sibságar during the season.
He had under his orders one Inspector, three Government,
three municipal, and 15 Local Fund vaccinators; besides six Hospital-Assistants. This
is an increase of three over the previous strength.
Results.
52. The results are exceedingly satisfactory. Last season Mr. Atkins was con-
sidered to have done uncommonly well in raising the aggregate
of vaccinations from 4,971 to 12,994; but Mr. Ghosh has
succeeded in surpassing the latter record, with a total of 16,450 operations, out
of which 15,300, or 93.04 per cent., are said to have been successful. Three Government
or provincial vaccinators head the list with an average of 876; 15 Local Fund vaccinators
follow with an average of 744; while the average of the whole 29 staff is 567. These
results will be found equal if not superior, to any other.
Inspections.
53. Of the quality of the work so performed, Mr. A. P. Ghosh also reports very
favourably. The lymph first obtained through the Sanitary
Commissioner of Assam was of excellent quality and suc-
cessful in every case. During the season 4,843 cases were inspected. This is hardly
a sufficient proportion. The Inspector is credited with only 1,873 of these, which must
be materially increased next season.
General remarks.
54. Local influence appears to have had much to do with the success. These
vaccinators, who are residents and acquainted with the
feelings and prejudices of the villagers, are always most
welcome.
Mr. Ghosh relies much on the tact, kindness, conciliation, and patience
of the vaccinators, but more especially on the quality of the virus, and its distinctive
protective value, as opposed to the danger of inoculation. The three great Gosains
from the Majhuli visited Sibságar on the occasion of the Jubilee festival, and were
spoken to on the subject of their sustained refusal to allow vaccination among their
followers. Mr. Anderson enters a marginal note that he fears "their prejudices are
not yet entirely overcome."
Small-pox.
55. The year was especially favourable here, as elsewhere, in the diminished mor-
tality from small-pox. A recorded mortality of 28 only in
an area containing 270,274 of population in 1881 is the
lowest on record. Neither was inoculation prevailing. There is no compulsory area.
It is calculated from the births that the annual number of children available for vaccination
in Sibságar is a little over 8,000, and that 5,019 of them were successfully vaccinated
in 1886-87. No accurate information was procurable as to the vaccination performed
on tea-gardens.
Expenditure.
56. The budget grant for this district amounted to Rs. 1,510, and the entire
expenditure to Rs. 1,322-2-6. The average cost of each
successful case was 1 anna 3 pies only. I have much
pleasure in copying the following note by Mr. J. D. Anderson, Deputy-Commissioner, on
the report:—
" The Civil Medical Officer took great pains with his vaccination. Not being hampered with the
inspection of tea-gardens, he made excellent use of the leisure he thus enjoyed."
LAKHIMPUR.
Superintendence and staff.
57. The superintendence and body of employés were exactly the same as before,
viz., Surgeon R. R. H. Whitwell, M.B., 4 provincial, 1
municipal, 4 local vaccinators, and 1 Hospital-Assistant.
I regret to observe that no Inspector has been obtained for this district. It is the only
one in the plains without one, and no district requires one more.
E