MUNICIPAL
DEPARTMENT.
SANITATION.
No. 3391-S.
CALCUTTA, THE 7TH NOVEMBER. 1893.
RESOLUTION.
READ—
The Triennial Report of the Sanitary Commissioner for Bengal on the working of
the Vaccination Department during the three years 1890-91, 1891-92, and
1892-93.
This is the second triennial report on the working of the Vaccination
Department in Bengal, prepared under instructions contained in the Resolution
of the Government of India, Home Department, No. 28-1579-95, dated 15th
July 1887. It is submitted by Surgeon-Captain H. J. Dyson, Officiating
Sanitary Commissioner, Bengal, in the absence, on furlough, of the permanent
incumbent, Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Gregg. The latter officer was
in charge of the Department during the whole period under review, and
Surgeon-Captain Dyson therefore labours under the disadvantage of having to
write a report on operations which were carried on in a province of which he
had no previous knowledge, and during a period when he saw nothing of the
working of the Department.
2. The Lieutenant-Governor regrets that he is again compelled to notice
the great unpunctuality with which this report has been submitted, for it was
due to Government on the 15th June, but was not received until the 10th
October. The explanation given of this delay is that, under the arrangements
recently introduced, the returns had for the first time to be submitted by Civil
Surgeons and other officers new to the work, and that much difficulty was
experienced in obtaining the correct figures. The Lieutenant-Governor is
aware that there have been exceptional difficulties in collecting the materials
for the present report, but he observes that in 1891 and 1892 also the report
was submitted after the due date, though not so late as in the present case. "His
Honour must insist on future reports being submitted without fail on the due
date, and desires that the Sanitary Commissioner will forward for his informa-
tion the names of those officers who were responsible for the delay under
notice.
Working of the new system.
3. In the closing paragraph of last year's Resolution, some account was
given of the reorganization of the Vaccination
Department, which was finally sanctioned by the
Government of India in Home Department letter No. 64, dated 26th March
1892. It is therefore only necessary to say that the main feature of the
scheme consisted in the transfer of the executive supervision of the work of
vaccination to Civil Surgeons, who were appointed ex-officio Superintendents of
Vaccination in their respective districts. The various other changes in the
subordinate and inspecting staff involved in the scheme may be gathered from
the statement below, which shows the strength of the working staff in each of
the past three years. It is as yet too soon to come to a definite opinion on the
success of these changes, but Dr. Dyson points out as a defect in the scheme
that, while Civil Surgeons are unable to inspect the remote portions of their
districts, the small number of three Deputy Sanitary Commissioners is insufficient
to supplement their deficiencies in this respect. It is possible that some modifi-
cations of the original proposals may eventually be required in this direction, but
it seems too early yet to make any change: the Sanitary Commissioner is requested
to pay special attention to this question, and to mention it in next year's report,
unless he finds it necessary to make a definite recommendation in the meantime.
Apart from this question, however, the increased number of operations that have