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No. 1346 L., 27TH JULY 1896.
Malabar, and those referred to in paragraph 4 (e) of the report. There was an
improvement in the amount of work done by all the agencies, except the dispensary
staffs and medical subordinates, who performed only 33,933 operations against 42,280
in the previous year—a decline due to the fact that by G.O., No. 1066 L., dated 9th
May 1892, vaccination by these officers was made optional. Notwithstanding the
efforts which the Sanitary Commissioner is stated to have made to impress upon local
bodies the necessity for re-vaccination and the issue of G.O., No. 609, Public, dated
18th August 1894, under which all candidates for employment are required to produce
certificates of re-vaccination after they have attained their tenth year, the total
number of re-vaccinations performed during the year was only 77,546 against 82,102
in 1894-95; no explanation of this has been offered by the Inspector of Vaccination.
The subject should be closely watched and explanation of any increase or decline
afforded in future.
3. Verification by Deputy Inspectors.—The total number of cases reported to have
been verified by the Deputy Inspectors fell from 608,706 in 1894-95 to 594,423
during the year under review, and twelve of these officers, against ten in the previous
year, failed to verify the prescribed 50 per cent. of cases in their ranges; from these
it is stated that explanations have been demanded. If the figures given are reliable,
the work done by the Deputy Inspectors of the Vizianagram, Paramagudi and Námakkal
ranges appears to have been particularly good. In addition to the above, the District
Medical and Sanitary Officers, excluding those of Kistna and Nilgiris, in regard to whom
information is not available, inspected 25,512 cases against 36,918 in the previous
year, and the Government is glad to note that the Inspector of Vaccination was able,
in this year for the first time, to verify personally 3,420 cases. This officer, having
now been partially relieved from municipal inspection work, made special tours in
view to a close examination of vaccine operations in the districts of Anantapur, Bellary,
Madura, North Arcot, South Arcot and Trichinopoly, with the result that serious
irregularities were discovered, in consequence of which three Deputy Inspectors were
suspended for periods of three months each, three were fined for indolence and irregu-
larities in work, and the conduct of two others is stated to be under consideration.
The Government regards these special tours as essential for the improvement of
vaccination, and is pleased to note the excellent results so far obtained in consequence
of them. The suggestion made by the Inspector of Vaccination in paragraph 4 (g) of
his report will be considered in the Revenue department.
4. Infantile Vaccination.—Excluding the figures relating to the cantonments of
Bangalore and Secunderabad, the total number of operations reported to have been
performed during the year was 33.5 per mille of the population as in 1894-95.
Infantile vaccination, however, exhibited an advance, the number of children under
one year of age reported to have been successfully vaccinated being 311,912 against
296,016, and 32.1 per cent. of the number of births registered against 31.7 in the
previous year. Infantile vaccination was again unsatisfactory in the districts of
Malabar and South Canara. As compared with the previous year, there was a fall
of 18.8 per cent. in Nilgiris and a rise of 15.1 per cent. in Coimbatore. The
Inspector should explain such abnormal variations in his future reports. The best
results were achieved in the districts of Madura, Coimbatore and Chingleput and in
the municipalities of Ootacamund, Coonoor, Madura, Palni and Calicut. while in the
City of Madras, where vaccination is carried on in an efficient and systematic manner,
only 68.9 per cent. of the children born are reported to have been protected from
small-pox ; in Cochin, Mannárgudi, Rajahmundry, Tanjore, Gudiyáttam, Kumbakónam
and Srívillipúttur (newly constituted), the outturn of work was far from satisfactory,
the proportion being less than 60 per cent. The special attention of the local bodies
concerned will be drawn to this matter.
5. Agency tracts.—There was again an increase in the amount of work done by
the Government vaccinators in the Agency tracts of Ganjám, Vizagapatam and
Gódávari, the number of operations performed by them being 20,537, against 18,960
in 1894-95 and 15,805 in 1893-94. There was, however, a large decrease in the
Gunupur range, which is attributed to the failure of lymph supply from the depôt.
The average number of cases performed by each vaccinator in all these tracts taken
together was 821 against 948 in the previous year, the decrease being due to the
vaccinators of the Gunupur and Jeypore ranges having each performed only 661 and