3
The prejudices of " Mahapurushias" in the district of Kamrup are being
gradually overcome. Eight thousand and nine hundred " Mahapurushias " were
vaccinated during the year under report, against 8,895 in the previous year.
Two temporary vaccinators were entertained for six months in the North-East
Frontier district. Their work was included in that of the district of Lakhimpur.
9. Composition and strength of the Inspecting Staff.—There was no change in.
the cadres of the Inspectors and the Sub-Inspectors of Vaccination during 'the year
under report.
10. Verification by the Inspecting Staff.—Civil Surgeons and the Deputy Sanitary
Commissioner inspected 4.28 per cent. of the primary and 4.05 of the re vaccinations
performed during the year, as compared with 5.50 and 2.71, respectively, of the
previous year. The attention of Civil Surgeons was drawn during the year to the
insufficient inspection of vaccination, but no improvement in this direction has been
effected except in the districts of Cachar and Nowgong. The Civil Surgeons of
Lakhimpur and Sylhet state that they find it difficult to do much touring owing to
the pressure of work at headquarters, the former being the Superintendent of Medical
School as well as Civil Surgeon. The absence of many of the permanent Civil
Surgeons who have been recalled to military duty has doubtless proved a factor in
preventing any improvement in, this direction. The matter will again receive atten-
tion, and orders will be issued directing that in districts where the Civil Surgeon is
unable to do the necessary amount of touring for this purpose, the duty must be
assigned to supernumerary Assistant Surgeons when their services are available.
The subordinate inspecting staff inspected 51.66 per cent. of the primary and 41.30
of the re-vaccinations, as compared with 51.44 and 42.87, respectively, of the previous
year. More than 90 per cent. of primary operations was inspected in the districts of
Cachar and Khasi and Jaintia Hills. The percentage of inspections in the districts
of Kamrup and Sibsagar is only 17 ; in the Lushai Hills and in the Garo Hills the
percentage of inspections is also very low, while the number of unknown results is
high in the Lushai Hills and in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills. The attention of the
Civil Surgeons concerned will be drawn to the default and an explanation asked.
The Deputy Sanitary Commissioner reported that the practice of retaining the
Vaccination Inspecting Staff at headquarters for the preparation of returns and assist-
ing in office work was being abused. I have called for returns regarding the number
of days spent on tour by these officers during the vaccination season and these returns
show that this abuse is very general, in spite of standing orders to the effect that
during the vaccination season, the Inspecting Staff are not permitted to spend more
than one week in the month at headquarters. In contravention of this order, it
appears that many of these officers habitually spend more than half the month at
headquarters. At subdivisional headquarters in some cases even greater laxity
obtains, for example, out of the whole vaccination season the Sub-Inspector of the
Sunamganj subdivision spent only 29 days on tour, according to the report submitted
by the Civil Surgeon, on which no comment has been made by him.
The responsibility for permitting this slackness lies primarily with the Civil
Surgeons concerned. Until the Vaccination Inspecting Staff is made to do the work
for which it is employed, viz., the inspection of vaccination and verification of the
accuracy of the returns, energetic and honest work cannot be expected from the
vaccinators. A case in which an Inspector of Vaccination failed to comply with the
order limiting his stay at headquarters, after his duty in this respect had been pointed
out by the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, has received suitable punishment, and
disciplinary action is being taken to deal with other officers, the amount of whose
touring has been conspicuously deficient. Civil Surgeons will be reminded of their
responsibility for seeing that the limitation of the stay at headquarters of the Vaccin-
ation Inspecting Staff to seven days per month during the vaccination season is
strictly observed and, in future, monthly returns will be exacted from all districts
showing the number of days spent on tour by each of the Vaccination Inspecting
Staff. To prevent this abuse and also the practice of doing a number of long daily
tours to and from headquarters, I propose to alter the order, so as to permit of only
seven nights being spent at headquarters during the month.
The Deputy Sanitary Commissioner inspected 1,761 primary and 24 re-vaccina¬
tions in all plains districts and he found 93.92 per cent. and 83.33 per cent., respec-
tively, to be successful.
11. Vaccination in compulsory areas.—There are 13 compulsory areas in the
province in which 2,677 births and 481 deaths among infants under one year of age
were recorded during the year 1914 and 1,478 infants were successfully vaccinated.