2
Statement V.
Inspection of Vaccination.
6. Civil Surgeons were 670 days out on tour, visited 3,845 villages against
3,221 in the previous year, and inspected 10.15 per cent
of the primary and 13.85 of the re-vaccinations performed
during the year. The prevalence of cholera hampered the work of inspection,
but in some districts the Civil Surgeons have left this work entirely to their
assistants. Further in some districts, e. g., Saugor, Jubbulpore, Narsinghpur and
Bhandara, the practice of collecting children of different villages at certain centres
does not appear to have been abandoned, more especially in Bhandara where the
Civil Surgeon visited 416 villages in 31 days or over 13 villages a day which, the
Commissioner remarks, is an extraordinary outturn of work.
7. Assistant Superintendents of Vaccination and other inspecting officers (Sub-
Divisional Officers, etc,) were 4,367 days out on tour and inspected 51.79 per cent
of the primary and 35.47 of the re-vaccinations in 19,480 villages. Considering the
low pay of these men and the difficulties they had to encounter in a year of
cholera, the Assistant Superintendents of Vaccination seem to have done good
work except in Nagpur, where, of the two men on duty throughout the year, one
was out on tour for 101 days and the other for 78 days only, which requires
explanation. Now that these men have been relieved of all office work, there is
no excuse for their doing an insufficient amount of touring. This matter was
dealt with in paragraph 7 of last year's note but has not been observed very
carefully.
Inspection by the Sani-
tary Commissioner.
8. During the season, I inspected 4,339 primary and 15 re-vaccinations, i. e.,
35 per cent of the work done in 17 Municipal towns and 64
villages Of the former 3,761 had four good marks, 318
had three and 153 had two, and there were only 19 cases wrongly recorded.
This shows that about 98 per cent of the primary operations done in these places
were successful which is satisfactory work.
Preparation and supply of
lymph
9. The lymph used was glycerinated calf lymph which in 18 districts
was prepared at the head-quarters station, while in the
remaining four the vaccinators were allowed to prepare
their own supply; 2,758 calves were vaccinated, of which 91 were rejected for
suppuration, etc., and from the remaining about 8olbs. of crude lymph was
obtained. The total expenditure incurred in the preparation was Rs. 3,932-3-10,
an unusually large amount. A Central Vaccine Depôt has been sanctioned by
the Local Administration and the equipment is now arriving from England. It
will be started on tentative lines at the Lunatic Asylum, Nagpur, next October,
and as soon as the initial difficulties of obtaining animals, storing lymph, etc.,
have been overcome (which will take a little time) lymph will be issued to the
whole Province. The Government of India has given a grant of Rs. 50,000 for
establishing the depôt, and plans for a suitable building are under consideration.
Vaccination in Municipal
towns.
10. There were 38,064 births and 12,299 deaths among children under one
year of age during the year in Municipal towns, while
the children under one year successfully vaccinated
number 26,864, i. e., more children than were calculated to be available by the
above rough method. This is accounted for by (1) wrong classification of age,
(2) presence of immigrants from outside villages and (3) the fact that the above
figure for infant mortality includes not a few children who had been vaccinated.
In spite of this there are still many children unprotected but the introduction of
school inspections, the co-operation of schoolmasters and the more careful appli-
cation of the Vaccination Act have produced an enormous improvement in
this respect. The extension of the Act to notified areas is much to be desired.
Deaths from small-pox.
11. Small-pox was again severe during the year, and 4,770 deaths were
recorded against 2,767 in the previous year. This
number can only be accepted as approximate owing to
the confusion in classifying eruptive fevers, but it is hoped that the recently
issued instructions may in course of time improve matters.
Almost all the districts of Nagpur, Chhattisgarh and Berar Divisions suffered
from this disease which prevailed more or less throughout the year. Nagpur
and Buldana returned the largest mortality—655 and 581 deaths, respectively.
In the former, the epidemic of previous years still lingers on, but in Buldana it
began in December and was very virulent for some time. The Civil Surgeon
traced its origin to a family arriving from the village of Bhomangaon in His
Highness the Nizam's Dominions, but slack supervision and bad vaccination work