3
were recorded in 1915 and 1,474 children were successfully vaccinated. According
to this rough calculation the proportion of 49.03 per cent. of the available children in
these areas was protected against small-pox as compared with 67 per cent. in the
previous year.
Ninety one per cent. of the available children were vaccinated in the town of Goal-
para, in Nowgong 87 per cent., in Dhubri and Golaghat 75 per cent., in Gauhati 74 per
cent., in Jorhat 68 per cent., in Dibrugarh 62 per cent., in Sibsagar 55 per cent, in
Silchar 49 per cent., in Shillong 42 per cent., in Sunamganj 38 per cent., in Tezpur 35
per cent., in Barpeta 32 per cent., in Maulvi Bazar 29 per cent., in Karimganj 24 per
cent., in Habiganj 14 per cent., and in Sylhet 7 per cent. These figures do not,
however, represent the totals of primary vaccination operations on children over 1 year
of age. It depends upon the closeness of the administration of the Act by the Civil
Surgeon of the district what number of children are allowed to complete their first
year of life without vaccination.. The machinery of the Act is now administered
with sufficient efficiency to ensure that few, if any, of these children eventually
escape vaccination, but steps are being taken to complete the vaccination of the towns
in which it is in default. In the town of Sylhet only 23 children out of an available
total of 321 have been vaccinated; this is a poor record of work.
12. Vaccine Depôt. —The number of capillary tubes loaded during the year 1915-
16 was 497,692 as compared with 547,447 in the year 1914-15. The decrease is due
to the fact that in the latter year lymph was supplied to the Eastern Bengal districts
for a certain portion of that year. 356 calves were inoculated during the year and
lymph was taken from 285 ; the lymph of the remaining 71 was rejected as unsuit-
able. The average number of tubes filled per calf was 1,746 as compared with
1,684 in 1914-15.
Failures in the October supply of lymph were as usual reported from some
districts and it appears almost certain that this is caused by too early an issue of the
lymph which is rendered inert by exposure to heat before use. Arrangements are
being made to prevent this.
13. Cost of the Department.—Including the charges of the Vaccine Depôt the
total amount of expenditure on vaccination in 1915-16 was Rs. 51,441-10-9 as compar-
ed with Rs. 62,169-9-0 in 1914-15. The decrease of Rs. 10,727-14-3 is due to decreased
expenditure in the Vaccine Depôt consequent on the discontinuance of the supply of
lymph to the Eastern Bengal districts and to reduced expenditure under the head
travelling allowance as the result of closer supervision. The amount of travelling
allowance drawn in Cachar where certain abuses had been prevalent, has been reduced
by Rs. 1,422 as compared with last year, by transferring the Inspector of Vaccination
elsewhere, dismissing the Sub-Inspector, and checking the travelling allowance bills
in this office. The report of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills shows an unsatisfactory
increase in the travelling allowance drawn, along with other deficiencies of work, and
the district work will receive my attention.
Of the total expenditure of Rs. 51,441-10-9 during the year, Rs. 28,320-2-9 were
paid from Provincial Revenues, Rs. 20,457-7-2 from Local Funds, Rs. 1,501-9-10 from
Municipal Funds and Rs. 1,162-7-0 were contributed by the State of Manipur. The
average cost of each successful vaccination during the year was annas three and pie
one against annas three and pies seven in 1914-15.
14. General.—During the year 14,821 primary vaccinations and 2,188 revacci-
-ations were performed in tea estates in the plains districts and their percentages of
success were 96.51 and 74.75, respectively. The Civil Surgeon, Lakhimpur, suggests
that a charge should be made for lymph supplied to tea estates as the number of
operations returned by them is very small compared with the amount of lymph
supplied, and he suggests that a charge will lead to more economical use of the lymph.
It is possible that the real defect lies mainly in the non-receipt of returns in regard
to vaccination. Further consideration of this suggestion will follow on the receipt of
information as to the total amount of lymph supplied to tea estates and a comparison
of this total with that of the operations reported. One hundred and seventy-seven
primary vaccinations and 249 revaccinations were reported to have been performed
within railway limits by railway medical officers and their percentages of success were
83 43 and 60.09, respectively. Eight hundred and twenty-six primary operations and
1,347 revaccinations were performed in Jails and in the Lunatic Asylum at Tezpur by
the medical officers of these institutions and their percentages of success were 70.01
and 54.73, respectively.
T. C. McCOMBIE YOUNG, Major, I.M.S.,
Sanitary Commissioner, Assam.