( 3 )
vaccination from all sources was Rs. 1,79,842 in 1891-92, against Rs. 1,82,400
in the previous year, the decrease being mainly due to the transfer of the cove-
nanted Superintendent of the Metropolitan Circle to the Medical Department and
the appointment in his place of an Assistant Surgeon on less pay. The Municipal
expenditure on vaccination shows a slight increase, while the cost to District
Funds was merely nominal.
Protection afforded.
7. Protection was afforded to 292,438 infants under one year of age
against 290,819 in the previous year, showing an
average percentage of only 11.81 under protection.
This is far from satisfactory, and every effort should be made to extend further
protection to children in early ages of life. The highest percentages were
attained in Darjeeling (57.44), Lohardaga (51.12), Political States (42.04), Malda
(32.03), and Sonthal Parganas (24.1); and the lowest in Gaya (2.97), Cuttack
(2.59), and Backergunge (2.37). The table of vaccination according to age
given in paragraph 9 has not been made to yield any practical conclusion, and
its utility seems doubtful.
The District of Muzaffarpur was for the first time taken up by the depart-
ment, and 4 per cent. of the population are shewn to have been vaccinated
during the year. Since the close of the year arrangements have been made
for the introduction of vaccination into Darbhanga, the only unprotected
district in the province.
8. The value of the figures given in the preceding paragraph, about pro-
tection, rests to a large degree on the proportion of successful operations
reported by the vaccinators, while in the case of primary vaccination is returned
as 99.21 against 99.21 in the previous year. This ratio is quite incredible, and
nothing is said in the Report to show how far the supervising officers set
themselves to the examination of these returns, and what the results were of
their inspections.
Supervision.
9. The following table shows the number of
operations inspected during the year 1891-92 and
the previous year:—
Superintendents ... ...
Deputy Superintendents ... ...
Subordinate Agency... ...
1890-91.
125,214
214,088
1,033,156
1891-92.
100,835
171,196
924,696
Decrease.
24,379
42,892
108,460
These figures show a marked falling off in the number of cases inspected
by every class of supervising officers, which the Lieutenant-Governor regrets
extremely to notice. Attention was drawn in last year's Resolution to the
importance attached to careful and systematic inspection, which should be
subject to the personal supervision of the Sanitary Commissioner himself, and
it is surprising that so little attention should have been given to these
remarks.
The tables in the report in which these figures are shown
are defective in form. They show the proportion of operations inspected,
but not the actual number nor the result of the inspections. The principal
object of inspection is to verify the results which the operators declare
themselves to have achieved, and for this purpose the proportion of cases inspected
which were found to be successful should have been shown. The determination
of the degree of success should not be left to the vaccinators themselves, but
should be carefully decided by the inspecting officers. A new form of state-
ment recently prescribed by the Government of India will ensure the more
accurate record of the result of inspections in future. The falling off in the
amount of inspection done may have contributed in no small degree to the
general decrease in the number of operations performed during the year, and
appears to point to slackness and want of energy in the department. The
Lieutenant-Governor trusts that, under the new system of management recently
sanctioned, a larger amount of inspection may be done by superior officers., Deputy
Sanitary Commissioners and Civil Surgeons.
Deaths from small-pox.
10. The mortality from small-pox was much greater than in 1890-91,
especially towards the end of the year. All districts
suffered more or less, except Rajshahi, which alone
showed no deaths from this disease. The total number of deaths amounted