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which reduces the number of primary vaccinations per man from 1,151 in
1869-70 to 1,077 in 1870-71.
3. Three causes of this decrease are pointed out. One is referred to
in your 3rd para., viz., the introduction of the new postal rules, which
interfered with the circulation of lymph among the vaccinators at the
beginning of the season. This was a curious and unexpected result of
what was meant to be an administrative improvement, and your remarks
on this subject will be communicated to the Director-General of Post-
offices. Another is doubtless to be found in the more careful testing of
the returns by the Superintendents of Circles. A third is the fact that the
increase in the vaccinating staff consists chiefly of men employed in the
Native States of Bundelkhund, who are not as yet sufficiently supervised,
and whose work in not up to the general average.
4. Assuming the birth-rate at 40 per thousand, there are 1,200,000
children born every year in the North-Western Provinces. Reckoning
that each vaccinator can perform 1,500 operations a year, a staff of 800
men, or more than double the present number, would be required (suppos-
ing the population favourable) to secure perfect protection from small-pox.
This is a strength which, in the present state of the finauces, the Depart-
ment can hardly hope to reach, but it is a standard which should be kept
constantly in view. If the charitable efforts of Native gentlemen and of
municipalities continue to be directed to this end, the Lieutenant-Governor
on his part will not be slow to meet them half way, or more than half way,
so far as the Provincial revenues admit of this being done.
5. The number of deaths from small-pox registered during the year
1870 is shown in the Sanitary Commissioner's report as 23,564, or .79 per
1,000 of the population. The ratio of deaths to persons attacked by the
disease is not accuratley known ; but if the proportion of deaths be assumed
at about 12 or 13 per cent., this would give about 200,000 cases of
small-pox during 1870, or less than the number of successful vaccinations
performed in 1870-71 by 44,862. The use of the prophylactic has not
reached very far when the number protected by it hardly exceeds the
number protected by having undergone the disease itself.
6. Of the staff employed 188 of the vaccinators were paid by Go-
vernment, 46 by municipalities, and 50 from local or private sources. The
last class have increased by 23 in the year under report, chiefly in the Agra
and Meerut Circle and in the Native States of Bundelkhund. The average
number of successful operations per man for the whole staff was 854.4.
The average for Government vaccinators appears to be about 925, and for
those entertained by municipalities 942, but the statements are not drawn
up with sufficient uniformity and precision to enable these figures to be
stated with accuracy. It appears, however, that the vaccinators entertained
by Municipalities are, as a rule, well supervised and diligent in work.
Still, a greater difference in the number of operations might have been ex-
pected, since in large towns the subjects lie close at hand or within easy
reach, while the district vaccinators have to spend a large portion of their
time in travelling in search of the children to be operated on.