RESOLUTION ON THE VACCINATION REPORT OF ASSAM FOR 1896-97.
Extract from the Proceedings of the Chief Commissioner of Assam in the General
Department, No. 4647, dated Shillong, the 20th July 1897.
Read—
The Vaccination Report of the Province of Assam for 1896-97.
RESOLUTION.
THE number of vaccinations performed by all agencies, excluding 27 vaccinations
of sepoys of the Native Army, was 274,696, compared with 260,690 in 1895-96. Of
the total, 267,171 were primary vaccinations and 7,525 were cases of re-vaccination.
Of the primary cases, 258,035, or 96.6 per cent., were reported as successful. Excluding
the dispensary staff and tea garden agencies, there were 18 Native inspectors, 175 paid
vaccinators, 6 apprentices, and 28 licensed vaccinators employed. The average number
of operations performed by each vaccinator, excluding garden agency, was 1,103,
against 1,098 in the preceding year. The total cost of the department was Rs. 20,815,
against Rs 19,942, and the average cost of each successful vaccination was 1 anna
5 pie, as compared with 1 anna 7 pie in 1895-96. Of the total number of operations,
250,350 were done by paid and licensed vaccinators. Dispensary establishments
performed 8,072 operations, against 10,456 operations in 1895-96 and 12,302 in 1894-
95, a falling off which is not satisfactory. On tea gardens 16,274 primary vaccinations
were performed by garden agencies, compared with 16,422 in the previous year.
2. Paragraph 9 of the report compares the work done in each district during the
past two years. The largest increases in the number of operations performed occurred
in the Sibsagar, Sylhet, Goalpara, and Garo Hills districts, in the order named, and the
largest decreases in the Kamrup, Darrang, and Lakhimpur districts. The falling off in
Kamrup is ascribed to the substitution of 15 paid men in the place of 22 licensed vac-
cinators ; it is not clear why this change was made, as from paragraph 14 of the report it
would seem that the work done by licensed vaccinators is quite as good as that of paid
men. No information is afforded regarding the decrease in Darrang and Lakhimpur.
The inspection work done by Civil Surgeons and Native inspectors compares unfavour-
ably with the results of the previous year. Only 20,630 operations were inspected by
Civil Surgeons, and 157,386 by Native inspectors, against 29,886 and 158,915,
respectively, in 1895-96. Surgeon-Major Dobson heads the list of Civil Surgeons
with 3,379 inspections, and Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Borah comes next with 3,212.
The importance of more extended inspections should be strongly impressed by the
Principal Medical Officer on all inspecting officers. Civil Surgeons found that 98.38
per cent. of the cases inspected by them were successful, and Native inspectors
97.68 per cent. The high percentage of successful operations shows that the excellent
quality of the lymph supplied from the Shillong depôt was maintained throughout the
year, and credit is due to Surgeon-Major Carroll for his efficient management of the
depôt. Efforts were made to introduce the method of vaccinating with fresh calf
lymph at the headquarters of districts, but they were unsuccessful, owing to the
strong caste prejudices of the vaccinators and the difficulty of obtaining calves. These
difficulties have been overcome in Bengal and elsewhere, where they were at first
experienced, and cannot be insurmountable in Assam. It is true that there is no im-
mediate urgency in the matter, as the calf lymph prepared in glycerine, which is supplied
from the Shillong depôt, is at present equal to the demand, and the results obtained are
highly satisfactory. But Mr. Cotton deems it advisable that the ordinary supply