2
The lower percentage of success during the year in question was undoubt-
edly due to the issue of lymph of a low grade of potency during the months of
October and November, as the treatment to which it was subjected before use differed
in no way from that of previous years. The question has received departmental
attention, orders have been issued and steps will be taken to ensure that a more
potent strain is available for use next autumn. The high percentage of success in
re-vaccination operations in the districts of the Garo Hills, Sylhet, Naga Hills,
Goalpara and Sibsagar requires investigation, and the attention of the Civil Surgeons
concerned will be drawn to this.
7. Different methods of vaccination.—As in previous years glycerinated vaccine
manufactured by the Shillong Vaccine Depôt was exclusively used in all operations.
8. Vaccination work in different districts.—As compared with the records of the
previous year, in the twelve districts and the Native State of Manipur, there was an
appreciable increase of vaccinations in five, and a substantial decrease in four, while
in the remaining four districts there was no change. In the district of Sibsagar there
was an increase of 3,477 operations, probably owing to the presence of small-pox in
this district. Vaccinators were instructed by the Civil Surgeon to visit all schools in
their beats and a large number of unprotected school children were vaccinated. The
accuracy of the vaccinators' returns received attention and four vaccinators in this
district were dismissed for falsifying their returns.
An increase of 2,721 operations was reported from the district of Goalpara which
was due to the performance of a number of vaccination operations during the recess
period, a procedure which was rendered necessary by an outbreak of small-pox in
certain thanas of this district. Although the district of the Lushai Hills reported an
increase of 2,040 operations, the record of work for the season was not satisfactory, as
the percentage of success in primary operations was very low, viz., 69.71. The Civil
Surgeon will be asked to explain the cause of this unsatisfactory result. In this
district the percentage of cases in which the results were not seen by vaccinators was
as high as 20.63 in the case of primary vaccinations and 20.69 in re-vaccinations.
This is due to slackness in supervision by the Sub-Inspector of Vaccination, who spent
only 83 days on tour during the whole vaccination season.
A marked decrease is noticeable in the number of vaccination operations returned
from the Garo Hills. As remarked in the last Triennial Report of Assam for
the years 1911-1912, 1912-1913 and 1913-1914, the unusually large number of
operations reported to have been performed during the season 1913-14 led me to
doubt the accuracy of these statistics. On enquiry serious inaccuracies came to
light. It appeared that the large number of vaccination operations, for which the
Civil Surgeon had taken credit in his report, was incorrectly returned as such, the
records having been falsified by the vaccinators with the object of increasing the
apparent amount of work done by them. In this year's returns the very large number
of vaccination operations claimed for each of the paid vaccinators in this sparsely-
populated district, as compared with those performed in other districts of the province,
requires further investigation. Certain of these vaccinators were dismissed and the
Sub-Inspector at fault was reduced to a lower grade.
The Civil Surgeon, Cachar, says that the decrease of 3,396 operations as
compared with the number reported to have been performed in the previous year,
was due to stricter scrutiny of the returns and to diminished activity of the vaccina-
tors. In this district two vaccinators were dismissed for falsifying their registers.
The decrease of 8,784 operations in the Sylhet district is reported to be due to non-
entertainment of vaccinators in the off-season, as there was no small-pox outbreak
during the year under report. I am not satisfied with this explanation, and I
consider that the diminution in the number of operations performed is largely due
to the slackness of the Vaccination Inspecting Staff, as from the tour diaries of the
Inspector and Sub-Inspectors in this district it appears that with the exception of one
Sub-Inspector they spent more time at headquarters than on tour. A decrease of
1,941 operations in the district of Naga Hills has not been explained by the Civil
Surgeon. The matter will be enquired into. I wish to place on record my apprecia-
tion of the vaccination work done in the district of Nowgong under the supervision
of the Civil Surgeon, Lieutenant Charles Bancroft, I.S.M.D. During the last three
years there has been a noticeable increase in the number of successful vaccinations
performed, viz., from 6,602 in 1912-13 to 12,494 in 1914-15, an increase in the
number of operations inspected, viz., from 2,524 to 8,680, and a diminution in the
amount of travelling allowance drawn from Rs. 380-9 to Rs. 311-9-6 within the
same period. This gratifying record has been achieved by the close personal atten-
tion and careful supervision of the Civil Surgeon.