REPORT ON VACCINATION IN THE PROVINCE OF ASSAM FOR THE
YEAR 1883-84.
Plan of the report.
1. The report is prepared in accordance with the system adopted in previous
years. First, a series of tables are introduced showing the
work as it is distributed, its general results, and expenditure.
Second, a brief review of the district operations as obtained from medical officers in their
annual reports. Third, the general statistics of the year throughout the Province.
Source and character of the lymph em-
ployed.
2. The supply of lymph was, as usual, obtained from many sources, and of
variable quality. The English lymph, obtained on indent
through the Sanitary Commissioner with the Government
of India, was a limited supply, intended only to assist Civil Surgeons to begin work.
In this respect it was not generally successful. In the Gáro Hills 10 tubes failed to produce
a single vesicle. At Gauháti 10 operations produced three vesicles, but these were very
good ones. At Nowgong 7 tubes of English lymph all failed. At Lakhimpur the record
was lost. At Cachar 8 tubes English lymph entirely failed both with the Civil Surgeon
and other medical men in the district.
Bovine lymph not successful.
3. Similarly, bovine lymph obtained from the Bombay
and Bengal Sanitary Departments was unsuccessful with
very few exceptions.
Darjiling, Punjab, Almora supply.
4. Of lymph supplied from the depôts at Darjiling and Almora, the former was
unreliable; the latter very good. In a general way, both
vaccinators and ex-inoculators prefer beginning with a
macerated crust and afterwards with armed points or from arm to arm.
Attempts to maintain local lymph not
successful.
5. Attempts were made, both last year and this, to store lymph locally; but I do
not recommend its adoption. It is less likely to produce
a healthy pock than a fresh importation from regular
depôts in another province.
Vernacular instructions to operators,
Appendix A.
6. Appendix A, which follows this report, is a reprint of the instructions to vacci-
nators prescribed by the order of the Privy Council, 29th
July 1871. Vernacular translations in Bengali and Assamese
will as usual be issued to Civil Surgeons for the next season.
Total results of vaccination during the
season
7. In Appendix B, Annual Statement III., the vaccination of the Province during the
season by the different classes of operators is fully illustrated.
Dealing with the figures only, the results are a very
great advance on any statistics of the Province previously recorded, and it is especially
satisfactory in being now the third year in succession in which such marked success has
occurred.
Comparison of results with previous years.
8. The increase of 1881-82 was 87.2 per cent. over the figures of 1880-81. In
1882-83 there were 12,593 vaccinations (paragraph 7)
more than in 1881-82, equal to 27.8 per cent.; and now for
1883-84, 88,693 total vaccinations have been performed, being an advance of 53.4 per
cent. on the figures of 1882-83, and an advance of 267.1 per cent. on the totals of only
four years ago.
Details of the season's work further exam-
ined.
9. Statement III., Appendix B, also shows in detail the work of each district, and
the establishment by whom it was performed. With respect
to the district work, a review of each annual report will be
given, showing the total increase and decrease of the year.
Agency employed in 1883-84.
10. The provincial vaccination establishment for 1883-84 numbered 170 altogether,
being 12 more than in 1882-83, but 8 less than in 1881-82.
The average work done by each operator was 460.9 opera¬