6
REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
by the Civil Surgeons; 1,620, or 84.03 per cent., by the Assistant-Surgeon; and 20,458,
or 92.04 per cent., by the native inspectors.
By Civil Surgeons.
17. Of the individual share taken in this part of the work, Surgeon E. Dobson
at Goálpára has far surpassed all previous record. In
1883-84, Dr. Whitwell was a long way ahead with 3,301,
but Dr. Dobson in 1884-85 shows 5,930. Sibságar, with 3,996, stands second on
the list; but the inspection there is nearly all by subordinates. Dr. Whitwell stands
third, with 2,604, in Lakhimpur. Mr. McNaught shows 1,903, Dr. Mullane 1,508, and
Dr. Campbell 1,168. The small figure (154) for Nowgong is due to the inspection
having been carried on by Assistant-Surgeon. Hari Charan Sen. In the Nága Hills,
Surgeon Borah was absent on political tours with the Deputy-Commissioner; in the Khási
Hills and at Cachar the military medical officer, being in collateral civil charge, could not
leave the station even for a day. In Sylhet, Dr. Macnamara has improved his record
from 281 in 1883-84 to 830 in 1884-85; but the figure is still much below what should
be expected in a district which has by far the largest staff of operators and the most
extensive vaccination of any.
By Native Inspectors.
18. As yet, there are native inspectors in 4 only out of the 11 districts. Darrang,
already sanctioned, will have one next year, and it is to be
hoped an effort will be made, under paragraph 14 of the
Chief Commissioner's Resolution of 1883-84, to obtain a native inspector each for Sibságar,
Lakhimpur, and Cachar. But, with this improved and more expensive establishment,
there must also be a better principle of inspection. It is not sufficient, as advanced by
the Civil Surgeon of Sylhet, that the inspector should pronounce a case successful, merely
because it has "taken." It is surprising that such a view should be held for a moment.
It means that the object of vaccination is less to protect the people against small-pox
than to furnish plausible statistics and a favourable report; whereas the real purpose of
inspection is to guard against the latter and to establish the former.
19. Elsewhere (paragraph 11) allusion is made to the appointment of inefficient
men to be native inspectors on grounds other than public duty and merit.
TABLE No. V.
Showing separately the vaccination work among the garden population performed by Government and
Tea-garden Agency during 1884-85.
Districts.
Goálpára ........................
Kamrúp ........................
Nowgong ........................
Darrang ........................
Sibsagar ....................
Lakhimpur ............................
Sylhet ....................
Cachar ....................
Total ............
Men.
Primarily
vacci-
nated.
....
.... 17
.... 330
19
404
391
1,161
Successfully vacci-
nated
....
....
....
.... 68
13
17
205
303
Women
Primarily
vacci-
nated
....
.... 10
.... 255
36
422
300
1,023
Successfully vacci-
nated.
....
....
....
.... 90
24
32
156
302
Children
Primarily
vacci-
nated.
....
46
213 301
1,763
142
1,146
2,654
6,265
Successfully vacci-
nated
....
41
199
280
1,703
88
518
2,052
4,881
Total vaccina-
tions by tea¬
garden agen-
cy.
Primarily vacci-
nated.
....
46
240
301
2,348
197
1,972
3,345
8,449
Successfully vacci-
nated.
....
41
199
280
1,861
125
567
2,413
5,486
Total vaccina-
tions by Go-
vernment
agency.
Primarily
vacci-
nated.
....
.... 8
418
186
1,020
335
1,523
3,490
Successfully vacci-
nated
....
....
.... 376
147
741
259
1,047
2,570
Grand Total.
Primarily
vacci-
nated
....
46
248
719
2,534
1,217
2,307
4,868
11,939
Successfully vacci-
nated
....
41
199
656
2,008
866
826
3,460
8,056
Percentage of suc¬
ussful cases.
....
89.13
80.24
91.23
79.24
71.15
35.80
71.08
67.47
Vaccination on tea-gardens.
20. The progress of vaccination on tea-gardens continues much the same as
last year. The number of operations has fallen from 15,150
in 1883-84 to 11,939 in 1884-85; the proportion of successes
varies from a maximum of 91.23 per cent. in Darrang to a minimum of 35.8 in Sylhet.
No explanation is given in any of the annual reports; nor do the Civil Surgeons comment
on them. One would have thought Dr. Macnamara, who has so much to say concerning
his own proportion of successes, would at least be startled by the contrast between 35
among his neighbours and 97 of his own. The supply of lymph was presumably the
same in both. The probable explanation is that very little is known of how the work
proceeds; that the registers are kept imperfectly or not at all, and no monthly returns
prepared. Consequently, when a seasonal report is asked for, it lapses for want of system.
Last year 9,762 vaccinations were reported in Cachar alone, and this year only 4,868.
The Deputy-Commissioner, in forwarding the annual report, again mentions the great
difficulties experienced in obtaining any statistics from the garden managers; and the
Deputy-Commissioner of Sylhet speaks of this also, and adds that " the returns not being
prescribed by law, no compulsion is possible."
Omission from future reports desirable.
21. So long as vaccination on tea-gardens by private agency is permissible only,
any statistics must be misleading, and it would, perhaps, be
better to omit them altogether from the official report.