Annual sanitary report of the Province of Assam.

  • Assam
Date:
[1914]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual sanitary report of the Province of Assam. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/52 page 7
    Registration on railways. The birth and death-rates in tea estates in 1911 were 24*54 and 21*93, respec¬ tively, against 2666 and 25*4 7, respectively, in 1913. The very low* figures returned by Kamrup require investigation, as they suggest imperfect registration, and the Civil Surgeon, will be asked to make an enquiry into this. The excess of deaths over births in Darrang and in Nowgong suggests that the health conditions of the labour force in these districts leave something: to be desired. o 12. The total number of births and deaths registered within railway limits during the year were 86 and 651, respectively, against 101 and 259, respectively, in 1913. 13. xls usual, the highest birth-rates were recorded in the last three months of Seasonal incidence of births and the year, bm., October, November and December, and the deaths. lowest rates w*ere recorded in the months of May, June and July. The highest death-rates were registered in the months of June and October* November and December. This was chiefly due to an increased mortality from cholera in these months. The lowest rates were recorded in the months of March and April. 14. Imperial Statements Nos. II, IV and V appended to this report furnish Mortality according to age. details o£ registration.of deaths according to sex, age and class. Compared with the year 1913, the mortality during 1914 was lower among both sexes, the rates being 25*15 in the case of males and 24*13 in the case of females, against 28'06 and 27*22, respectively. As in the previous years, the death-rate was highest among infants under one year and lowest among persons between 10 and 15 years of age. During the year under report the mortality amongst Christians was 19 03* Hindus 24*82, Muhammadans 23*12, Buddhists 7*52 and other classes 29 32, against 18*99, 25*79, 29*S4, 13 22, and 32 96, respectively, in 1913. 15. In rural areas 62,961 vital occurrences were verified and 2,153 or 342 per T .. e . . cent, of omissions were found, compared with 95,203 and 4‘7, respectively, in 1913. Oliaukidars ancl gaonburas who were found to he at fault were reported to the Deputy Commissioner for punish¬ ment. The percentage of omissions (Jl*17) was highest .in the district of Sibsagar and next highest, 6*16, in the district of Kamrup. 4he percentage of omissions wras lowest in the district of Lakhimpur (1*33). It is well to keep in mind, however, that the percentage of omissions discovered is often more an index of the activity of the investigating staff than of the relative district inaccuracy of registration. During the year under report less activity has been displayed by the Vaccination Inspecting Staff in this department of their w*ork in the districts of Sylhet, Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang and Sibsagar. A growing tendency to keep the Inspector of Vaccination at district headquarters to assist the Civil Surgeon’s office in the preparation of returns, has been observed. This will be dealt with at greater length in the Vaccination. ’Deport and suitable action will be taken to put a stop to this practice. 16. No change has been made during the year in the agency for the registration of vital statistics either in rural areas or compulsory General accuracy of vital statis* n peas tics and improvements effected during the year. As in the previous years, vital statistics were collected in Sylhet, Cachar and in a portion of Goalpara by police chaukidars, and in Kamrup, Darrang, Nowgong, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur and in the remaining portion of Goalpara, by gaonburas.' The former report to thana officers, and the latter to mauzadars, who in their turn submit their returns to the Civil Surgeons, in whose offices the district returns are compiled. Towards the close of the year orders were issued by Government to those municipa¬ lities in which Sanitary Inspectors have been ported, to appoint them as registrars of vital statistics for the town. Detailed instructions have been issued defining the duties they are to perform in connection with registration, and arrangements are being made for supplying them with the necessary forms. The question of the apparent inaccuracy of the reporting of vital statistics from the Polashbari circle, which was the subject of comment in my report of 1913, has been carefully investigated during the year. Sub-Inspector of Vaccination Naresh Chandra Hai Chaudhuri was placed on special duty from May 1914 to the end of February 1915 for this purpose under the orders of the Civil Surgeon, and his work has been checked by the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, who is prepared to accept responsibility for the k general accuracy of his report. From the sub-joined table it i
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