( 2 )
There was thus an increase of four Inspectors, a decrease of 22 Government
or paid vaccinators and two apprentices, and an increase of 10 licensed
vaccinators and 102 apprentices during the year under report.
Number of operations performed
and average per man.
3. The following table shows, circle by circle and in municipalities
separately, the total number of operations performed
during the year under report (1891-92) as compared
with the previous year (1890-91) by the establishment
of vaccinators shown in the last columns of the statement in paragraph 2 (which
for facility of reference is reproduced here) and the average number of operations
performed by each vaccinator:—
CIRCLE.
Calcutta
...
...
...
Metropolitan
Circle ...
Darjeeling
„ ...
Ranchi
„ ...
Eastern Bengal
„ ...
Orissa
„ ...
Bihar
„ ...
Total
of
Vaccination
Circles.
Municipalities,
Dispen-
saries, &c.
GRAND TOTAL ...
NUMBER OF VACCINATORS.
1891-92.
38
592
644
217
434
237
314
2,476
262
2,738
1890-91.
42
521
665
233
445
214
264
2,384
254
2,638
Difference.
Increase.
......
71
...... ......
...... 23
50
92
8
100
Decrease.
4
...... 21
16
11
...... ......
......
......
......
TOTAL NUMBER OF VACCINATIONS PER¬
FORMED.
1891-92.
14,162
362,534
419, 884
154,670
268,363
113,263
215,106
1,547,982
93,106
1,641,088
1890-91.
17,498
388,857
492,675
147,203
321,706
138,715
239,407
1,746,061
87,917
1,833,978
Difference.
Increase.
......
......
...... 7,467
......
...... ......
......
5,189
......
Decrease.
3,336
26,323
72,791
...... 53,343
25,452
24,301
198,079
......
192,890
VERAGE NUMBER OF OPERA¬
TIONS PER MAN.
1891-92.
373
612
652
713
618
478
685
625
355
599
1890-91.
417
746
741
632
723
648
907
732
346
695
Difference.
Increase.
......
......
...... 81
......
...... ......
......
9
......
Decrease.
44
134
89
...... 105
170
222
107
......
96
It will be seen that though there was an increase of 92 in the total
number of circle vaccinators during the year under report, there were 198,079
fewer operations performed than in the previous year, which is equivalent to
an average decrease of 107 operations per man. The decrease occurs in every
circle except Ranchi, and is explained as follows by the Superintendents
concerned.
Calcutta Circle.—Dr. Simpson says:—" The cause of decrease was due to the
prevalence of small-pox in the beginning of the previous year, when children of
very tender age were allowed to be vaccinated and large numbers of elderly
people resorted to vaccination."
Metropolitan Circle.—Assistant Surgeon Anund Chund Mukerjee says:—
" The decrease of 26,323 operations is due to the prevalence of malarial fever in
the rural areas generally, which rendered many children unfit for operation."
Darjeeling Circle.—Surgeon-Major Waddell says:—" The decrease is mainly
owing to an unusual amount of unhealthiness—malarious fever and influenza—
amongst the villagers and amongst the vaccinators, but it was also in a large
measure, especially in the Bhágalpur, Monghyr, and Sonthal Parganas districts,
due to the great prevailing scarcity, owing to which many of the villagers
were unable to pay the vaccinators' fees."
Eastern Bengal Circle.—Assistant Surgeon Narendro Nath Gupta says:—
"The decrease of 53,343 operations is due (1) to paucity of unprotected children
in areas which regularly receive protection owing to less opposition, whereas in
places having the largest number of unprotected persons the licensed vaccinators
failed to carry on any work, owing to violent objection and opposition of the
people; (2) to candidates not being willing to work in most places, especially in
the Chittagong and Backergunge districts, owing partly to the difficulty in
realizing their fees from the people after vaccinating them, and partly to the
vehement objection and opposition of the people to vaccination; and (3) to the
prevalence of malarious fever in the first part of the season, which interfered to
a certain extent with the work."
Orissa Circle.—Apothecary Veeriah Naidu says:—"The decrease of 25,452
is due to the operations being performed only by licensed vaccinators during
the year, whereas last year vaccination was carried on both by the Govern-
ment and licensed vaccinators."
This is no excuse at all, for in the place of the abolished Government
agency licensed vaccinators were employed, and the Superintendent ought
to have insisted on more work from them.