6
The Compulsory Acts were in force in eleven places, with a population of 71,128,
during the season under review. Act XIII of 1880 was brought into force in the Nowgong
Municipality on the 7th of April 1897. In these towns, 3,487 vaccinations were
performed with a successful result in 3,371 cases. During 1896-97, 3,685 successful
vaccinations were done in ten towns with a population of 66,313. Twenty-nine small-
pox deaths occurred in these eleven towns in 1897, a death-rate of 0.41 per 1,000. The
small-pox death-rate of the province as a whole was 1.08 per 1,000. Of the deaths, 16
occurred in Sibsagar, and 5 in Jorhat. During the year, 594 notices were issued under
the Acts, 25 persons were prosecuted and 2 were punished. During the previous
year, 618 notices were issued, but no one was prosecuted.
Silchar Municipality.
15. In Silchar, 208 persons were successfully vaccinated, as against 156 in
1896-97. No death from small-pox was reported during
1897. Thirteen notices were issued under the Act, but
no one was prosecuted.
Sylhet Municipality.
16. Only 365 persons were successfully vaccinated in Sylhet, as against 559 in
1896-97. There were 470 notices issued, 105 more than
the number of persons vaccinated, and yet not a single
prosecution was instituted. Two deaths from small-pox were registered during the
year.
Dhubri Municipality.
17. In Dhubri, 105 successful vaccinations were performed, as against 154 in
1896-97. Four notices were issued under the Act, but
no one was prosecuted. One death resulted from small-
pox during the year.
Goalpara Municipality.
18. Ninety-eight successful vaccinations were done in this municipality, as against
142 in the previous year. Forty-three notices were issued
and 15 persons were prosecuted, but no one was convicted.
No small-pox death was registered during the year.
Gauhati Municipality.
19. In Gauhati, 72 persons were successfully vaccinated, as against 528 in the
previous year. There were no notices issued under the
Act. Two small-pox deaths were registered.
Nowgong Municipality
20. In this municipality, into which the Act was brought into force during the
year, 553 persons out of a population of 4,815 were
reported to have been successfully vaccinated. Three
notices were issued, but no one was prosecuted. No deaths from small-pox were
registered during the year.
Dibrugarh
Municipality and
Cantonment.
21. In the municipality 504 and in the cantonment 47 successful vaccinations
were done ; the corresponding numbers for 1896-97 were
436 and 19. Forty-eight notices were issued, but no one
was prosecuted. Three small-pox deaths were registered
in 1897, as against 25 in 1896 and 115 in 1895.
Sibsagar Station
22 In Sibsagar, 310 persons were successfully vaccinated, as against 403 in
1896-97. Thirteen notices were issued under the Act,
10 persons were prosecuted and 2 were punished. Small-
pox, which was epidemic in this place in 1896, continued to prevail throughout 1897,
and 16 deaths were registered from this cause.
Shillong Station and Cantonment.
23. In the Station 181 and in the cantonment 54 successful vaccinations were
done, as against 584 successful cases in the station and
256 in the cantonment in the previous year. No notices
were issued under the Act. No small-pox deaths were recorded.
Golaghat Union.
24. In Golaghat, 105 successful vaccinations were done, as against 156 in 1896-97.
No notices were issued under the Act, and there were no
small-pox deaths reported.
Jorhat Union.
25. In this union, 119 persons were successfully vaccinated, as compared with
292 in the previous year. No notices were issued under
the Act Five deaths from small-pox were registered.
Inoculation.
26. Inoculation continues to be frequently practised in the Surma Valley. The
Cachar Civil Surgeon reports that it is much practised,
but no outbreaks of small-pox were proved to have
originated from it. The Civil Surgeon of Sylhet states that inoculation was carried
on, to some extent, in all the subdivisions of that district, but that no outbreak of small-