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SHORT NOTES ON VACCINATION
FOR THE YEAR
1903-1904.
THE following are brief notes on vaccination in Bengal for the year
1903-1904.
Officer in charge of the Depart-
ment.
2. I was in charge of the Department throughout the year. The follow-
ing officers served as Deputy Sanitary Commis-
sioners :—
Northern Bengal Circle.—Captain W. W. Clemesha, I. M.S., was in charge
from 1st April to 14th April 1903, Captain H. Innes, I.M.S., from 15th April
to 24th June 1903, Captain James Masson, I.M.S., from 25th June to 4th
September 1903 and again from 15th November 1903 to 31st March 1904, and
Captain N. S. Wells, I.M.S., from 17th September to 14th November 1903.
Metropolitan Circle.—Captain S. Anderson, I.M.S., held charge from 1st
to 29th April 1903, Captain R. P. Wilson, I.M.S., from 9th May to 4th
August 1903, Captain W. V. Coppinger, I.M.S., from 31st August to 15th
December 1903, and Captain W. W. Clemesha, I.M.S., from 16th December
1903 to 31st March 1904.
Western Bengal Circle.—Assistant Surgeon Gopal Chandra Mukerjea
remained in charge from 1st April 1903 to 4th January 1904, and Captain
N. S. Wells, I.M.S., from 5th January to 31st March 1904.
There was no Deputy Sanitary Commissioner in the Metropolitan Circle
from 30th April to 8th May and from 5th August to 30th August 1903, and
in the Northern Circle from 5th September to 16th September 1903.
3. Strength of Staff.—In the Calcutta Municipality, 5 Inspectors and 26
vaccinators were employed during the year against nil and 19 respectively of
the previous year. In the Provincial rural areas, the posts of one District
Inspector and one Sub-Inspector remained vacant throughout the year, while
the post of another District Inspector was vacant from July 1903 pending
the proposed re-organization scheme, one of the features of which is a reduction
in the Inspecting staff of each district. The experience gained in connection
with these appointments which were vacant will form the subject of a separate
communication to Government in connection with the reorganization scheme.
There was an increase of 2 Sub-Inspectors owing to the employment by the
Tributary States of Orissa of two additional officers of this class. There was
also an increase of 2 head vaccinators in the above States. The number of
licensed vaccinators shows an increase of 39 and of paid vaccinators a
decrease of 16 officers. The latter is chiefly due to the abolition of the District
Board paid vaccination in Chittagong. The strength of staff in the muffasil
municipalities, dispensaries, &c., remained almost the same as in the preceding
year.
4. General operations.—The total number of operations performed in the
Province during the year was 2,748,638 of which 2,634,563 were primary, and
114,075 revaccination, against 2,781,972 with 2,592,177 primary and 189,795
revaccination of 1902-1903. The primary cases show an increase of 42,386 over
those of the previous year, while there was a falling-off of 75,720 in revacci-
nation. This decrease in revaccination is due to the less prevalence of small-
pox during the year under report, as compared with the previous year, and the
consequent smaller number of revaccinations done in connection with the stamp-
ing out of small-pox epidemics.
The ratio of success under the two different heads was 98.18 and 66.40
against 98.11 and 68.07, respectively, of 1902-1903. The average work of a
vaccinator was 961 against 972 of the previous year.