REPORT ON VACCINATION IN THE PROVINCE OF ASSAM FOR THE
                                      SEASON 1885-86.

Plan of the Annual Report.

1. The report is prepared in accordance with the plan adopted in previous years:
first, a series of tables is introduced, showing the establish-
ment, operations, expenditure, and general results in detail;
second, a review of the work in each district; third, the general provincial statistics of the
season. To these are added appendices of useful information and current topics of
interest.

Sources from which supply of lymph is
obtained.

From England very good.

2. The supply of lymph was obtained in the first instance by the Sanitary Com-
missioner of Assam from England on indent through the
Sanitary Commissioner with the Government of India. 125
tubes were received and distributed to the head-quarters of each district on the 30th Sep-
tember. It appears to have been of exceptionally good quality,
and was favourably mentioned by all the Civil Surgeons,
except at Shillong, where only one tube out often gave a successful result.

From India of variable quality

3. During the season the Civil Surgeons also received periodical supplies on their
own application direct from the vaccine depôts in Dacca,
Darjiling, Calcutta, and a few from Almorah. As usual,
the accounts differ widely regarding the value of these country resources. Many were
very good, but there were also many failures. In particular, the bovine lymph is rarely
vital on reaching Assam. It does not appear to be as yet capable of reproduction after
a week, and I fear this will disqualify its introduction into Manipur, towards the fulfilment
of which Colonel J. Johnstone, the Political Agent, took so much trouble in 1885.

On the whole, superior to former years.

4. But, on the whole, there seems to have been more pains taken to secure whole-
some pure vaccination at first; and there have been, in Mr.
Kennedy's words, " fewer complaints " of the quality than
formerly. The complete directions on this subject which were drawn up by Mr.
McNaught and published in Appendix B to the Report of last season, will, if attended
to, go far to remove the serious objections which have been taken in past years to bad
lymph.

                                                                                                                                     TABLE No. I.

                                                                            Showing the agency employed in each district of the Province during the past two years.

                                                         * The apprentice employed in the Garo Hills is not included in the total, as his work was merely nominal.

Classes of operators employed.

5. In this table is detailed the classes of operators employed in each district, and
the provincial total. There has been a great increase. In
1884-85 there were 169 and in 1885-86 209. Of the 40 extra
hands employed this season, 30 were Local Fund, and five were licensed vaccinators. There
were also three native inspectors, two Hospital-Assistants, one municipal vaccinator,
and one compounder more. The provincial vaccinators remained the same, and
there was one Civil Surgeon and one apprentice fewer than before. Except in the
Nága Hills, Gáro Hills, and Goálpára, the increase was general, but is especially marked
in Kámrúp, Sibságar, Sylhet, and Cachar.

Native inspectors increased

6. The addition to native inspectors is satisfactory. It has been my earnest
effort to improve the quality, rather than the quantity, of
vaccination in Assam; to lessen the mortality from small-
pox, rather than to produce an overflowing series of statistics ; and to secure the

                                                                                               B