2
with a very high percentage of thoroughly successful primary vaccinations; at the same time
I would add that the lymph supplied by the vaccine depôt in Shillong is so good and uniform in
quality that the percentage of successful cases in the hands of a skilful operator might approach
the possible.
It is known that Lieutenant-Colonel R. Neil Campbell has done over 800
operations with his own hands, without a single failure ; but we cannot expect the whole of the
vaccinating staff to be equally expert.
The Chief Commissioner is disappointed to find that there has again been, a
falling off in inspection work done by Civil Surgeons and Inspectors of Vaccination.
The decrease in the number of operations verified by the Civil Surgeons of Goal-
para, Nowgong, and Darrang is most marked. Mr. Cotton notes that excellent work
has been done in connection with vaccination by Military Assistant Surgeon Bancroft,.
Civil Medical Officer of the Garo Hills district, who inspected the largest number of
operations, 5,460, and whose exertions have resulted in increasing the total number of
vaccinations in that district from 8,798 to 15,866. Of the cases inspected by the Civil
Surgeons, 95.99 per cent. were found to be successful, against 98.66 per cent. in the
preceding year, but of the operations of licensed vaccinators inspected in the districts
of Goalpara, Kamrup, and Sibsagar, 100 per cent. were found successful, showing that
only successful cases were produced before the Civil Surgeons, and that sufficient care is
not yet exercised in testing the vaccinators' work.
3. The annual report of the animal vaccine depôt at Shillong is appended to the
Vaccination Report. The Chief Commissioner has visited the depôt, Where work is being
carried on in temporary and very inadequate sheds since the earthquake, on several
occasions. The arrangements made there, considering the present difficulties, are
most satisfactory, and the large outturn of loaded capillary tubes remarkable. The
highest testimony is borne to the excellence of the lymph which is preserved in a
solution of glycerine and water, and having regard to the trend of opinion on the
subject, which is altogether in favour of using this lymph, Mr. Cotton has authorised
the abandonment of all further attempts to introduce vaccination with fresh calf
lymph at the headquarters of district. The establishment of local depôts would,
moreover, involve expense which the Administration cannot at present afford. The
new depôt at Shillong is now under construction. The Chief Commissioner is glad
to take this opportunity of again acknowledging the valuable services rendered by
Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Campbell in supervising the work of this institution.
Arm-to-arm vaccination has now been practically abandoned throughout the
province, and no operations of this class were reported during the year.
4. The proportion of the population successfully vaccinated was 4.50 per cent.,
against 4.67 per cent. in 1897-98. The number of infants under one year of age
successfully vaccinated was 50,389, against 58,455. During the calendar year 1898,
147,889 births were registered in Assam, and in the Census Report of 1891 the
number of children under one year of age was stated to be 191,720. The proportion
of infants successfully vaccinated was thus 34.07 per cent. of the registered birth-rate
and only 26.28 per cent. of the estimated number of infants available for vaccination.
5. The Compulsory Vaccination Acts remained in force in the same eleven towns,
as in the preceding year. The number of vaccinations in these areas was 3,021 only, as
compared with 3,487 in the preceding year and 4,152 in 1896-97. In his Resolution
on last year's report, the Chief Commissioner commented upon the decrease in vaccin-
ation in compulsory areas, which had not been satisfactorily explained, but again no
explanation is offered of the further decline which has occurred in 1898-99. In the
Resolution referred to, it was pointed out that in the Sylhet Municipality, in the face of
a very imperfect system of vaccination, there had been no prosecutions under the Act
since 1892, though a large number of notices had been issued to defaulters, which
showed that the provisions of the law had been applied with undue leniency. The
number of vaccinations in the Sylhet Municipality in 1898-99, while showing a slight
improvement over the figure of 1897-98, was much less than in 1895-96 or in 1896-97 ;
yet there was no prosecution under the Act, though 378 notices were issüed. In the
Municipalities of Dhubri and Gauhati, though the number of vaccinations fell off
seriously, there was no prosecution during the year. It is evident that, in the munici-
palities referred to, the Chief Commissioner's orders on this subject have had little or no
effect, and the special attention of the Deputy Commissioners concerned is drawn
to the necessity of a judicious exercise of the coercive provisions of the law.While Mr.
Cotton is anxious to avoid undue severity in the administration of the Act, he cannot
permit it to fall into desuetude in those areas to which it has been extended on good and
sufficient grounds for the protection of the public health.