2
REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
tions; but this figure is subject to great variation, some of the municipal vaccinators and
ex-inoculators having an extremely low return.
Statistics of work in the tea-gardens.
11. Vaccination in the tea-gardens has made considerable advance. In 1882-83
statistics of 2,243 operations, and 1,746 successful, were
submitted. This year the total recorded reaches 10,336, and
it is probable that one-third at least of the gardens in Cachar and Nowgong have not
been taken into account. Of the 10,336 operations, only 5,300 are stated to have been
successful, an average of 51.2 per cent. As the same lymph was used with the coolies as
for the district generally, I infer that inspection on tea-gardens is more complete, and that
the higher ratio outside means deficient inspection. In Barpeta sub-division, where
ex-inoculators work with no one to look after them, they have simply returned every
operation as successful.
Statistics of the Province.
12. Including the tea-gardens, the number of operations for the season for the
whole Province was, as before stated, 88,693; of this total,
88,123 were primary, with 76,368 successful, equal to 86.66
per cent. There were 570 re-vaccinations only, of which 421 were successful, equal to
73.86 per cent.
Statistics excluding tea-gardens.
13. Excluding tea-gardens, the primary vaccinations by Government agency
totalled 77,787, with 71,068 successful and a ratio of 91.36
per cent. It is impossible not to suspect these results are
wrong. The tea-gardens average is 51.2 only; the Government operators return 91.36.
In 1882-83 the figures were 89.6, and in 1881-82 88.7. Dr. Macnamara considers
vaccination on tea-gardens by the "Doctor Babu" are "illusory;" on the other hand,
there are numbers of the gardens under direct European medical inspection, and the
returns have probably been submitted by the latter. Again, the tendency of illusory
returns is to be favourable, as witness the Barpeta ex-inoculators. I believe the ratio of
successes recorded by Government operators is much too high, by which it is to be
understood many operations are recorded as successful which subsequent vaccination or
even ocular inspection would demonstrate to be unprotective.
Statistics of preceding decade.
14. Appendix C illustrates the progress of vaccination in the Province since
1874-75. As the present year concludes a ten-year series
of this table, it will be convenient in future to begin
a fresh series. The present table will be consolidated into an average of ten years, the
figures of the preceding year entered, and those of the current season: —
TABLE NO. I.
Showing the agency employed in each district of the Province during the past two years.
District
Khási Hills
Gáro „ ............
Goálpára ...............
Kámrúp ...............
Nowgong ..............
Darrang .............
Sibságar ................
Nága Hills ................
Lakhimpur
Sylhet
Cachar ..................
Total ...........
1882-83.
Civil Sturgeons.
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
12
Hospital-Assist-
ants.
2
2
2
3
1
2
3
1
4
10
2
32
Compounders
..
..
1
..
..
1
.
1
.. 2
..
5
Native Superin-
tendents.
..
..
.. 1
..
..
..
..
.. 1
..
2
Vaccinators.
2
5
2
3
3
4
3
1
4
5
3
35
Apprentices.
..
10
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
10
Vaccinators,
Municipal
..
.. .. 1
..
.. 2
..
.. 1
..
4
Vaccinators,
Local Fond.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
.. 16
..
16
Vaccinators,
honorary.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
.. 4
..
4
Ex-inoculators.
..
1
16
20
..
.. 9
..
.. 2
..
48
Total.
5
9
22
29
6
8
19
4
9
42
6
158
1883 84.
Civil Surgeons.
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
13
Assistant Sur-
geons.
..
.. 1
..
.. 1
1
..
..
..
..
3
Hospital-Assist¬
ants.
3
.. 4
3
1
1
2
1
2
5
3
25
Compounders.
..
..
..
..
..
..
.. 1
.. 2
..
3
Native Superin-
tendents.
..
.. 1
1
..
..
..
..
.. 2
..
4
Vaccinators.
2
6
5
4
3
4
3
1
4
10
3
45
Apprentices.
..
10
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
10
Vaccinators,
Municipal.
..
.. 1
1
..
.. 2
..
.. 1
1
6
Vaccinators,
Local Fund
..
.. 2
.. 2
1
1
.. 3
11
..
20
Ex-inoculators.
..
1
9
35
..
.. 3
..
.. 3
..
51
Total.
6
8
24
45
7
8
14
4
11
35
8
170
* The apprentice employed in the Gáro Hills is not included in the total, as his work was merely nominal.
Detail of distribution of vaccinating
staff
15. In this table the agency is detailed for each class and district. While the
Civil Surgeons remain nearly the same, there have been
three Assistant-Surgeons put on the work during the current