9
From the diagram it appears that there is little relation between the death-rate
from small-pox and the degree of protection afforded by successful vaccination. Were
a larger proportion of the population protected, the relation would doubtless be much
more obvious.
Animal lymph depôt at Shillong.
27. The annual report of the animal lymph depôt at Shillong by Surgeon-Major
Dobson is given in Appendix A to this Report. The
supplies of lymph sent from the depôt to Civil Surgeons
at the beginning of the vaccinating season were quite inert. The first five supplies of
lymph received by the Civil Surgeon of Sylhet were bad. The Civil Surgeon of
Lakhimpur states that the first seven supplies he got were inert, and the general
experience of Civil Surgeons was that vaccinations done by lymph received from the
depôt up to the middle of November were unsuccessful. They are, however, unanimous
in reporting that the lymph received after the 7th of December was excellent.
On learning that the depôt lymph had failed, Surgeon-Colonel Warburton telegraphed
to the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner of Darjiling on the 13th November 1893 to
send 25 tubes of vaccine lymph to each Civil Surgeon of Assam, and some good work
was done by means of this lymph before supplies of lymph of good quality began to
be received from Shillong. The failure of the depôt lymph was principally due to the fact
that the Hospital Assistant in charge of the depôt was inexperienced. He was trans-
ferred to the depôt only on the 10th of August 1893, and previous to his arrival he
had no opportunity of becoming acquainted with the work. The Civil Surgeon,
Surgeon-Major Dobson, had also had little previous experience of the working of the
depôt. He had seen nothing of lymph depôt work till he joined his appointment in
Shillong in April 1893.
Decrease in the amount of work
done due principally to the failure
of the depôt lymph in the begin-
ning of the season.
28. There is no doubt that the decrease in the amount of work done during the
vaccinating season of 1893-94, as compared with last year's
results, was principally due to the failure of the vaccine
lymph sent from the depôt in October and November, and
the small percentage of successful cases was also princi-
pally due to the same cause. When people found that the operations were failures,
they began to lose faith in vaccination, and in several places they afterwards refused to
allow their children to be vaccinated. To prevent a similar failure in future, the Hospital
Assistant in charge of the depôt will be changed as seldom as possible. With the concur-
rence of the Chief Commissioner, vaccine lymph will also not be sent to the districts in the
plains till the 1st of November, and Civil Surgeons will be requested to personally test
the first supplies of lymph received, and not to pass it on to the vaccinators till they
satisfy themselves that it is of good quality.
Inoculation of goats.
29. At the end of his report on the animal lymph depôt, Dr. Dobson gives the
results of the inoculation of 7 goats with vaccine lymph.
I agree with Dr. Dobson that no advantage is likely to be
gained by substituting goats for calves for the purpose of obtaining lymph in this
province.
I have the honour to be,
SIR,
Your most obedient Servant,
A. STEPHEN, M.B., Surgeon-Colonel,
Offg. Principal Medical Officer and Sanitary
Commissioner, Assam.
C