VACCINATION IN CALCUTTA AND THE SUBURBS.
History.
1. SINCE 1816 there has been a Superintendent General of Vaccination at the Presidency,
whose duties consisted in supervising vaccination
in Calcutta and in keeping up and forwarding to
different parts of India a supply of vaccine lymph.
Before that date the officer who discharged these duties had a more extended sphere
under his control, and seems to have exercised some sort of general superintendence over the
whole of the vaccination taking place in the Bengal Presidency, including districts now
under the Government of the North-Western Provinces.
No annual report seems ever to have been furnished before, and hence the present one
has been called the first annual report.
Reports other than annual ones have been published from time to time. As early as
1805 the Government published a report written in 1804 by Dr. Shoolbred, from which it
seems that 1,426 successful vaccinations took place in that year in Calcutta.
A report by Dr. Cameron was published " On Vaccination in Bengal in 1829."
Dr. Duncan Stewart's report on small-pox in Calcutta and vaccination in Bengal bears
the date of 1844, and in 1850 Dr. Stewart as Secretary to the Small-pox Commissioners wrote
their report.
In the Supplement to the Calcutta Gazette of the 17th January 1866 is published a
"Special Report on the Presidency Vaccine Establishment, Calcutta, 1865." In addition to
this report, I also addressed to the Government a " Second Special Report on the Presidency
Vaccine Department, 1867." This report has never been published, and on its recommenda-
tions, which supported those contained in the previous report, for an increased and remodelled
establishment, the present arrangements have been sanctioned.
In the following year a report was called for by the head of the Medical Department
to enable him to report fully on the present state of vaccination in Bengal. The informa-
tion was furnished under the title of " Third Special Report on the Presidency Vaccine
Department." This was published along with a report by Dr. Green " On Vaccination
Proceedings throughout the Government of Bengal Proper, 1868."
Superintendents of Vaccination.
2. During the past vaccinating season the Superintendent of each of the three divisions
has been changed. Two of the three Superin-
tendents who previously held charge having been
appointed to two of the new circles of vaccination in the presidency districts, have been re-
placed by two Sub-Assistant Surgeons who have been brought down from the Punjab and
North-Western Provinces. A third vacancy caused by the removal of a Sub-Assistant
Surgeon who proved himself unfit for the duties of a Superintendent of Vaccination, has also
been filled by a Sub-Assistant Surgeon from the Punjab.
As it was not until early in January that the first of these new Superintendents arrived,
and the last of them did not take over charge till the end of that month, the superintendence
of the Calcutta vaccination was conducted during the first half of the season by the Superin-
tendents who also held charge of the new circles of vaccination. As in previous reports I
have had to dwell on the undesirable nature of this arrangement, I will not again refer to it,
as by recently sanctioned arrangements the disadvantages pointed out will now no longer exist.
Baboo Bhoobun Mohun Mitter joined his appointment on the 6th of January and has
charge of the North Division.
Baboo Kalli Das Bose took charge of the Middle Division on the 14th January.
Baboo Kassee Chunder Dutt was placed in charge of the South Division and relieved
Baboo Jadub Chunder Ghose on the 31st January.