REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
3
year. Except Assistant-Surgeon Hari Charan Sen, at Jorhát, who has medical charge of
the station and dispensary, neither of the others can do more than temporarily assist,
as their duty is concerned with immigration. Sylhet has two native Superintendents of
Vaccination, Goálpára and Kámrúp each one. Three other districts, Cachar, Darrang,
and Lakhimpur have developed to a standard for which a Superintendent is required.
The various classes of vaccinators, Government, Local, and Municipal, show a
moderate but a satisfactory increase. Ex-inoculators have again risen from 48 to 51:
of these 35 are employed in Kámrúp, and 12 of these in Barpeta sub-division, where
their work is never inspected. Calling to mind the Chief Commissioner's views on
this subject published in paragraph 6 of the Resolution on vaccination operations in Assam
for 1881-82, the Civil Surgeon should certainly not have authorised their employ-
ment ; and in future the rule will be strictly observed that " such agency is to be
wholly abandoned, where their work cannot be thoroughly tested." In Goálpára, the
numbers have been reduced from 16 to 9, but the same rule must be applied there ;
and in Sibságar and Sylhet, where, also, they are still employed in insignificant numbers.
TABLE No. II.
Showing increase and decrease of vaccination work in each district during the past two seasons.
District.
Khási Hills .....................
Gáro „ ............................
Goálpára ........................
Kámrúp ...............................
Nowgong ......................
Darrang .............................
Sibságar ..............................
Nága Hills ..........................
Lakhimpur .......................
Sylhet
Cachar .........................
Tea-gardens by garden agency.
Makum, Nága Hills .............
Total ............
Total number
vaccinated.
1882-83.
1,045
2,432
6,940
5,687
2,548
8,716
3,155
363
3,087
16,199
4,692
2,243
732
57,839
1883-84.
1,861
7,263
14,477
8,788
2,983
5,194
3,606
473
5,398
23,241
5,073
10,336
......
88,693
Difference.
Increase.
816
4,831
7,537
3,101
435
......
451
110
2,311
7,042
381
8,093
......
35,108
Decrease.
......
......
......
......
......
3,522
......
......
......
......
......
......
732
4,254
Actual
increase.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
30,854
Operations.
Decrease in Darrang only.
Significant increase in Goálpára, Sylhet, &c.
16. From Table No. II. above we learn the total increase and decrease of vaccina-
tion in each district; and from tea-gardens, so far as
reports have been received. It is satisfactory to
observe that the figures are, with one exception, on the "increase" side. The
exception is Darrang, which shows a serious falling off by 3,522. Dr. Campbell
has not supplied with his annual return the compa-
rative Statement No. IV. ; and no allusion is made to this
decrease in his report or in the Deputy-Commissioner's covering letter. Possibly,
the military operations of the Aka Expedition, which gave Dr. Campbell a good
deal of extra duty, may have hindered his superintendence. The staff appear to have
been similar in both years. On the other hand, the absolute increase of 7,537 in
Goálpára, 7,042 in Sylhet, 4,831 in the Gáro Hills, 3,101
in Kámrúp, and 2,311 in Lakhimpur, are instances of
success, which indicate special energy on the part of the staff. Kámrúp and Goálpára
would stand out very much more brightly if their figures were untainted with
ex-inoculators' specious returns.