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No. 1299 L., 22ND SEPTEMBER 1916
GOVERNMENT OF MADRAS.
LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT.
READ—the following paper : —
Letter—from Major W. A. JUSTICE, M.B., C.M., D.P.H., I.M.S., Sanitary
Commissioner, Madras.
To—the Secretary to Government, Local and Municipal Department.
Dated—the 2nd August 1916.
No.—D. 431/V.
ABSTRACT.—Submitting report on the working of the Vaccination Department in the
Madras Presidency for 1915-16.
Order—No. 1299 L., dated 22nd September 1916.
The report on vaccination, which was due with the Government on the 1st July,
was received on the 5th August. This was due to the absence of the Deputy Sanitary
Commissioner on privilege leave in consequence of ill-health.
2. The total number of vaccine operations performed during the year exceeded
that for 1914-15 by 112,248, or 6.6 per cent. This result is attributed to the
prevalence of small-pox in several parts of the Presidency and to better work on the
part of the vaccination staff. Large increases occurred in the districts of Vizagapatam,
Malabar and Tanjore. The districts which showed marked decreases were Guntūr,
Salem and Kurnool. The fall in Guntūr is attributed to the large number of operations
performed in the two previous years, when the district was in the throes of a severe
small-pox epidemic. The fall in Salem is partly accounted for by the prevalence of
plague, while in Kurnool there appear to have been difficulties in recruiting
vaccinators.
3. The outturn of work in the municipalities showed an increase of 49,515 cases,
or 33.0 per cent, over the figure for the previous year. Madras, Parlakimedi and
Tuticorin showed marked increases, while Salem, Ellore, Palni, Ootacamund and
Calicut showed comparatively large decreases. The chief causes assigned for the
decreases are prevalence of plague, absence of small-pox and a fall in the birth-rate.
4. In the case of re-vaccinations alone there was an increase of 52.5 per cent.
The increase in local fund areas amounted to 45,770 cases and in municipalities to
49,584, the City of Madras contributing as many as 36,881. Large increases occurred
in the districts of Vizagapatam, Gōdāvari, Ganjām and Nellore, and in the case of
municipalities the increases in Parlakimedi and Tuticorin are noteworthy. Small-pox
accounted for 21,463 deaths. This is 5,160 less than in 1914-15, but the prevalence
of small-pox in the two years is undoubtedly the main cause of the increased resort to
re-vaccination.
5. The reported percentage of success fell from 90.8 to 87.7 in the case of primary
and secondary vaccination and from 79.1 to 75.7 per cent in the case of re-vaccination.
This is attributable in a small measure to an experiment (initiated in the previous year
and since discontinued) in storing vaccine pulp in the raw condition and grinding and
mixing it with lanoline as required for issue ; but mainly to bad work on the part of
the vaccinators and especially to their inveterate habit of keeping the paste till it is no
longer fit for use. In the three districts of Chingleput, Coimbatore and Gōdāvari the
results were especially bad. The Presidents of the District Boards concerned will be
requested to make a searching enquiry into the causes of this matter and to submit
special reports on the causes of the bad results. The total number of successful
operations per mille of the population was returned at 33.3 in local fund areas and 58.7
in municipalities against 33.5 and 50.0, respectively, in 1914-15.