9

General Remarks.

52.     The Inspector-General of Education issued a Circular letter to Inspec-
tors of Schools, asking them to enforce with " greater strictness " the conditions
of Articles 101 (c) and 268 of the Educational Code. He has asked them to ascer-
tain whether students are vaccinated or not on the occasion of examination in
gymnastics, &c., and when passing them for grants.

53.     Vaccinators frequently allege as an excuse for short work that the
people are averse to vaccination. This may be true to a slight extent; but the
opposition in these Provinces is not of a pronounced nature.

54.     It may be stated from personal observation of the season's operations
in the Nagpur, Chhindwara, Betul, Hoshangabad, Narsinghpur, Saugor, Damoh
and Jubbulpore Districts, and inspections in the Sadar Stations of Khandwa,
Mandla, Seoni and elsewhere, that the results vary very much in different districts,
and in some districts vaccination is not altogether efficient. In the south-western
portion of the Chhindwara District the results were particularly favourable, but
in the Betul District indifferent. In some parts of the Betul District the lymph
in use was imperfect and had been so for some time, and a renewal of the lymph
was urgently needed and had to be arranged for forthwith.

55.    On the whole, fair progress has been made in these Provinces, but further
effective supervision of operations, and careful attention to the quality of lymph in
use, by Civil Surgeons are necessary. The general health of the people in many
districts was unfavourable, and the falling off in vaccination, though not so serious
as might have been expected, may be fairly ascribed to the distressed and
vagrant condition of the poorer classes, and concurrently to adverse conditions
affecting the birth-rate, and infantile life generally, during an exceptionally bad
season, when great privation deepened into famine in the northern, central and
other districts.

NAGPUR:

The 10th July 1897.

                                                G. HUTCHESON, M. D., SUR.-COL.,

                                                                        Offg. Sanitary Commissioner,

                                                                                                Central Provinces.