REPORT ON VACCINATION IN THE MADRAS
PRESIDENCY DURING 1889-90.
STAFF OF THE VACCINATION DEPARTMENT.
1. During the year no important changes were made in the constitution of the
vaccination staff. In Local Fund Circles, 32 Deputy Inspectors of the first class,
drawing Rs. 60 and Rs. 70, and 20 of the second class, on Rs. 40 per mensem,
formed the inspecting staff; whilst vaccinators of the first and second class, draw-
ing Rs. 18 and Rs. 10 respectively, carried out the executive work. In Munici-
palities, 106 vaccinators were employed on salaries varying from Rs. 10 to Rs. 18,
according to class. Government employed 6 vaccinators in Cantonments, and 22
in the Hill Tracts of Ganjam and Vizagapatam and Gadavire.
2. The areas under the charge of each subordinate employed by District Boards
are shown in Table XII attached. It will be seen that they differ within consider-
able limits, although there is a certain amount of tendency to uniformity. The
question of area, of course, is not a simple one; as often apparently disproportion-
ately large tracts under one man's charge may be chiefly of uninhabited mountain
ranges, &c., whilst those entrusted to another, of actually smaller area, may include
well inhabited villages but small distances apart. No conclusion need, therefore,
be arrived at solely by a consultation of this table ; but I have thought the infor-
mation conveyed may be useful to local authorities, with reference to questions
that must from time to time be referred to them. Thus, during the year, in
consideration of the very large areas under the two Deputy Inspectors attached to
the Malabar district, it was found necessary to appoint a third man.
3. Two females were employed by District Boards as vaccinators on Rs. 18 and
Rs. 10 per mensem, and five by Municipalities on Rs. 10 each, except the woman
at Cocanada, who receives Rs. 18. It is most desirable that the employment of
female vaccinators be extended; indeed, where vaccination is compulsory, I think
this provision should invariably be made. Possibly, as the cases where the services
of a female vaccinator would be essential are limited, it would be feasible for Muni-
cipalities to unite in paying female vaccinators who could serve in each Municipality
for a certain limited time.
QUANTITY OF WORK EFFECTED BY THE VARIOUS BRANCHES
OF THE DEPARTMENT.
* If the work of the
special staff of Kurnool
district be included, the
total would be 893,330.
4. During the past official year 875,748* persons were vaccinated; in 831,499
cases the results are reported to have been successful. This
is the greatest number hitherto recorded, and exhibits an
increase of 61,758 successful cases when compared with the
outturn of the last official year. This highly satisfactory
result may be ascribed to the more general use of animal
vaccine lymph, and the consequent partial cessation of difficulty in procuring
supplies of the virus, as well as to the special urging of attention to the question
of vaccination conveyed in reviews by Government of District Board and Muni-
cipal Administration Reports, and, I may safely add, to the energy of my pre-
decessors in office, Surgeon Dymott and the late Surgeon-Major McNally. Table
II attached shows that increased activity has not been limited to any special branch
of the department, but has been general, if the, in any case, small work falling
to Cantonment vaccinators be excepted.
5. The total live-births recorded in the Madras Presidency during the year
were 864,115, whilst there were 176,468 successful vaccinations of children below
one year of age, representing a vaccination rate within the first year of life of 20.4
per cent.
2