ANNUAL REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE VACCINE SECTION OF
THE KING INSTITUTE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, GUINDY,
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 1918.
The total number of cases supplied by the Institute during the year showed
an increase of 66,779 or 3.29 per cent over that of the previous year. It was
however still 22,698 or rather over 1 per cent short of the record number supplied
in the year 1915-16.
2. Table I shows the quantity of vaccine issued to various bodies for the
quinquennium 1913-14 to 1917-18.
TABLE I.
Statement showing the quantity of vaccine supplied to various bodies from 1913-14 to 1917-18.
To whom supplied.
Government officers including jails ...
Agency Tracts
...
...
...
...
Military Department ... ... ...
District Boards
...
...
...
...
Municipalities ... ... ... ...
Superintendent of Vaccination, Secun-
derabad ... ... ... ... ...
Vaccinator, Bolarum ... ... ...
Civil Surgeon, Civil Hospital, Basrah ...
Private bodies ... ... ... ... ...
Total ...
1913-14.
47,172
23,150
27,587
1,625,926
179,330
...
...
...
69,000
1,972,165
1914-15.
20,951
25,060
25,671
1,649,070
178,980
19,530
1,460
...
62,695
1,983,417
1915-16.
21,451
24,105
14,410
1,739,000
236,185
8,970
1,550
2,400
65,626
2,113,697
1916-17.
22,656
* 1,700
28,815
19,677
1,652,330
212,035
7,930
1,070
500
77,807
2,024,220
1917-18.
24,309
28,455
44,655
1,653,635
248,590
9,560
1,030
...
80,765
2,090,999
* Supplied to the Port Health Officer, Negapatam.
The quantities supplied to the Agency Tracts, District Boards, and the
Vaccinator, Bolarum, remain substantially the same as in last year. That supplied
to the Port Health Officer, Negapatam, is classed along with the supplies to
Government Officers and the Civil Surgeon, Civil Hospital, Basrah, disappears
altogether. All the others show percentage increases which is very large
126.9 per cent in the case of the Military Department, are moderate in the
cases of the Superintendent of Vaccination, Secunderabad, and municipalities,
20.5 per cent and 17.2 per cent, respectively, and are small, 7.3 per cent and
3.8 per cent in the cases of Government officers including jails and private bodies.
3. There was no change in the manufacture of the vaccine. As usual the
bulk of the material issued was lanolinated vaccine, but glycerinated vaccine was
supplied to Madras City and to Colombo as in previous years.
4. In the great majority of cases the usual fortnightly dispatch was adhered
to, but the system of three supplies a month was extended so as to include the
whole of the Madura district. Districts receiving three supplies a month were
then Chingleput, Madura and parts of the Gōdāvari and North and South Arcot
districts. Two of the five municipalities receiving three supplies a month, namely,
Anantapur and Cocanada, showed improved results, so the experiment was
continued for another year. It is intended shortly to give three supplies a month
to the whole Presidency. This is to be done coincidentally with the introduction
of the new scheme of vaccine operations which has arisen out of G.O. No. 963 L.,
dated 4th July 1917.
5. The introduction of the scheme allowing the vaccinators only five clear
days after receipt of their consignments of vaccine does not appear to have been
much of a success as the success rate for the whole Presidency shows a marked
drop. The practice of putting off two or more days before commencing work