2
VACCINATION REPORT.
5. The following table shows the strength of the establishment employed
during the last two years, with the pay of each post:—
Years.
1895-96...
...
1896-97...
...
First-class
Deputy
Inspectors.
Rs. 60—70.
34
34
Second-class
Deputy
Inspectors.
Rs. 40.
* 24
* 25
First-class
Vaccinators.
Rs. 15-20.
257
272
Second-class
Vaccinators.
Rs. 10—12.
424
407
Proba-
tioners.
Rs. 5—7.
149
151
* Four assistant deputy inspectors employed by the Madras Municipality.
From this it will be seen that, while the staff of vaccinators remains the same
in numbers, there has been an increase of one deputy inspector of the second class.
This is due to the action of the District Board of South Arcot in creating a new
range. This example might well be followed by. other large boards in whose
districts vaccination is backward, e.g., Malabar.
6. The following table shows the total vaccination work done by all agencies
throughout the Madras Presidency:—
Primary vaccinations... ... ...
Re-vaccinations... ... ...
Total ...
1895-96.
1,120,625
77,546
1,198,171
1896-97.
1,173,131
74,589
†1,247,720
† Includes the statistics of dispensary vaccination exhibited separately in statement No. III appended to the
report.
From this it will be seen that there has been an increase of 49,549 cases as
compared with last year. Under the head of primary vaccination the increase is
52,506, while the re-vaccination cases have fallen off by 2,957. The explanations
received from the various districts do not throw much light on the cause of this
decrease under the latter head; the favourite explanation put forward being-
' unwillingness of the people,' nothing being said about the inefficiency and want
of influence of the vaccine staff, which, no doubt, is the real reason. The district
of Ganjám shows an increase of 1,580 under this head, but no explanation of this
has been afforded though called for. The other districts showing an increase are
Salem (528), Tanjore (330), Gódávari (189), Madura (177), Nellore (36), and
Kistna (8). The largest defaulters are Tinnevelly (1,682), Trichinopoly (938) and
Vizagapatam (899), the explanations offered being as noted above.
7. The districts showing the largest increase in the number of operations are
the following:—Vizagapatam (22,844), Ganjám (11,382), Kistna (11,041), Gódá-
vari (8,827), and Nellore (8,767). All these, except Ganjám, showed a decrease
last year, so that it is noteworthy that they stand first in the list this year.
In eight districts a decrease is shown, as against ten in the previous year, viz.,
Coimbatore (6,790), Trichinopoly (6,014), South Arcot (4,004), Anantapur (3,304),
Tinnevelly (2,081), Madura(1,013), Malabar (139), and Chingleput (38). South
Arcot showed a decrease last year also, while Tinnevelly and Malabar have shown
a decrease for the past three years.
The explanations offered by the various deputies concerned are as follows: —
Coimbatore.—Prevalence of cholera during the latter part of the year, and
heavy rain during the north-east monsoon.
Trichinopoly.—This district has always been noted for the very large outturn
of its vaccinators, and grave suspicion was aroused as to the accuracy of the returns,
in consequence of which Surgeon-Major Mallins made a thorough investigation
last year, which fully confirmed the above, and the Deputy Inspector in charge was
suspended for six months and removed to another district. This probably fully
accounts for the decrease, though the prevalence of cholera and absence of some
vaccinators without substitutes may have contributed to the result.