Resolution on the Vaccination Report for 1891-92.

Extract from the Proceedings of the Chief Commissioner of Assam in the General Depart-
ment, No. 5950 G., dated the 11th July 1892.

Read—

The Annual Vaccination Report for 1891-92.

                                                    RESOLUTION.

The report which was due on the 15th May was received in manuscript on the
27th May 1892, and in print on the 24th June 1892. The Administrative Medical
Officer explains that the submission of the report was delayed in consequence of the late
receipt of some local returns. The attention of the officers concerned will be drawn to
this matter.

Progress of vaccination work.

2. The statement which precedes paragraph 8 of the report shows a decided
improvement in the total number of operations, the increase
being 19,221, or 10.3 per cent. on the figures of the
previous year. The returns from Manipur are a new feature in the report, and the number
of operations in that State, 7,481, accounts to some extent for the large increase. Progress
was made in all districts except Kámrúp, Darrang, and Sylhet. The decrease in Sylhet
is small, but the large falling off in the Kámrúp district, which is attributed to the want of
proper supervision on the part of the late Civil Surgeon, and the decrease in Darrang are
unsatisfactory, and the Chief Commissioner must look to the Civil Surgeons concerned to
pay greater attention to this branch of their work. The increase in the Nága Hills district
(from 3,845 to 14,275 operations) is gratifying. On tea gardens the number of successful
cases decreased from 13,387 in 1890-91 to 9,285 in 1891-92, although the percentage of
successful cases increased from 80.18 to 82.76. The Administrative Medical Officer
attributes the small success in gardens partly to the lymph having been used by the garden
agencies after it had been kept for a long time, when it had become inert or useless, and
partly to vaccination having been carelessly performed and inspected. The Chief
Commissioner hopes that Dr. Costello will do all in his power to improve these results.

Inspection of vaccinations.

3. The number of inspections performed during the year under review shows an
increase of 2,585 over that of the previous year (98,612 in
1890-91 and 101,197 in 1891-92 ). The largest amount of
inspection work was done by the Civil Surgeon of Goálpára and the smallest by the
Civil Surgeons of the Kámrúp and the Khási and Jaintia Hills districts. Steps should be
taken, wherever necessary, to ensure an adequate amount of inspection work being
performed by all Civil Surgeons. Of the 101,197 cases verified, 92,978 or 91.88 per cent.
were found successful as compared with 89,575 or 90.83 per cent. in 1890-91.

Table 4, which precedes paragraph 11 of the report, has no heading, but is under-
stood to be a table showing vaccination work done in compulsory areas in which the
Bengal Vaccination Act, V of 1880 (B.C.), and the Vaccination Act, XIII of 1880, are
in force. As these Acts are not in force anywhere outside municipalities, stations, unions,
and cantonments, it would be more convenient, and would save much repetition, if in
future reports it were incorporated with that portion of the report (paragraphs 13—26)
which deals with vaccination in municipalities, stations, &c.

Vaccination in compulsory areas.

4. In the compulsory areas, where Act V (B.C.) of 1880 and Act XIII of 1880 are in
force, the total number of operations performed increased from
1,891 in the preceding year to 2,191 during the year under
report, and the number of successful operations from 1,658 to 2,009. This result was due
mainly to the increase in the number of operations in the Silchar and Sibságar stations, to
which the Act V was extended during the year under review. The Goálpára and the Gauháti
municipalities show fair progress, the respective increases being from 47 to 193 and 508 to
702. The marked decrease in the Dibrugarh cantonment (from 138 to 6) has not been ex-
plained, and this omission should now be supplied. Notwithstanding the remarks made by
the Chief Commissioner in the last year's Resolution regarding the decrease in the number
of operations performed in the Sylhet municipality, Mr. Ward observes that there was a still
further falling off during the year under report (from 414 to 358) which, in the absence of
any sufficient explanation, is most unsatisfactory. In paragraph 3 of Home Department