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PUBLIC HEALTH ocourrod, but in the hills things differ, and villagers have been known to propose the imprisonment of the neighbouring wizard as the only method of checking an epidemic.

Mortality from small-pox, as elsewhere, fluctuates violently in accordance with no very obvious principles. The worst years in recent times have been 1884-86, 1889, 1892-93 and 1898, the deaths in which averaged about 1,200. Vaccination is compulsory only in the four municipalities and in nine of the unions. Statistics of the recorded rates of births and deaths in the plain taluks in recent years will be found in the Appendix. Registration of these events is compulsory in eleven of the fifteen unions and in sixteen other villages. The medical institutions of the district comprise 31 hospitals or dispensaries, of which only three contain no accommodation for in-patients. Of these, three — those at Gunupur, established in 1869, Rayagada, opened in 1887, and Bissamkatak (1888)-are in the Agency and are maintained by the Parvatipur taluk board; four — those at Jeypore (1887), Naurangpur (1890), Malkanagiri (1899) and Padwa (1904)— are similarly in the Agency but are kept up by the Koraput District Board; three — those at Bimlipatam (1871), Anakapalle (1879) and Vizianagram (1901) — are maintained by the respective municipalities; five — two each at Vizagapatam (1845 and 1894) and Vizianagram (1860 and 1905) and one at Bobbili (1896) — are supported partly or wholly from private benevolence; while the remaining 16 in the margin are financed by the taluk boards. Statistics of the attendance at, and cost of, those of these institutions which are managed officially will be found in the Appendix to this book.

Of all of them, the oldest and the most important is te civil hospital at Vizagapatam. This began with a dispensary originated in 1845 under leave from the Court of Directors, and was at first located in a rented house ' nearly in the centre of the town ' and adjoining ' the building now occupied as a military hospital '. By the end of 1857 it was removed to a new building costing Rs. 17,200, of which sum Rs. 10,225 had been made up by public subscription (the Rajas of Vizianagram and Bobbili and the Gode       Palkonda . . .    1860        Salur ........    1875        Parvatipur '        Bobbili           1876        Yellamanohili        Narasapatam        Chodavaram        1878       Chipurapalle        Srungavarapukota  1879        Gajapatinagaram   1882        Jami              1890       Nakkapalli        Razam             1891        Viraghattam       1892        Ponduru           1899        Kurupam           1901 157