26
evidence collected, and compiling their report. Considering, however, the
practical importance of speedily making a pronouncement on the subject of
inoculation, they have submitted a preliminary report on "Haffkine's Anti-
Plague Inoculation," which will form the fourth chapter of the completed
report. After a rigorous criticism of all the statistics laid before them by the
various witnesses—and most of which have been included in the preceding
pages—and after excluding all data, which seemed to them liable to any
objection, the commissioners arrive at the following conclusion, which they
formulate thus :—
"In every case, except that of Bulsár, inoculations had a considerable effect in warding
off plague attacks from the inoculated, and that in every case, without exception, they
rendered attacks among the inoculated less fatal than attacks among the uninoculated."
On the main point at issue, i.e., the practical utility of Haffkine's anti-
plague vaccine, the plague Commission thus agree with the conclusions (a), (c)
and (d) on page 36. For the details on which differences have arisen and
which it would be out of place here to discuss, the reader is referred to the
report itself, Chapter 4 of which, dealing with inoculation, has already been
published in Supplement to the Gazette of India for February 1900.
With regard to the case of Bulsár, additional information has been obtain-
ed locally, through the kindness of Khán Bahádur P. H. Dadachanji, Assistant
Surgeon in charge of Bulsár dispensary, who did a large number of the inocula-
tions himself, and who kept records of the occurrences subsequently.
The following is the account of what actually occurred :—
21. Bulsár.—A town near Surat, in the Bombay Presidency, with a popu-
lation of 14,472. Inoculation was begun here early in 1898 by Assistant Surgeon
Dadachanji, from whose figures the members of the Indian Plague Commission
compiled the following information. The operations were confined to four
wards of the town, and the following advantages were allowed to the inocu-
lated : they were not segregated, and were allowed to treat the sick in their
own homes, or in special houses set apart for this purpose in each quarter.
The table below shows the events in each ward.
If the inoculated had Buffered to the same extent as the uninoculated; they
should have had 148 cases with 1Í6 deaths, instead of 84 and 31 respectively ;
a reduction of 43·2 per cent. in the case of attacks and of 73 per cent. in the
case of deaths, in favour of the inoculated.
With reference to the above the following is quoted from the report of the
Indian Plague Commission :—
"It is to be noted that all the plague occurrences entered in this table occurred after the
completion of inoculations. It is further to be noted that the population under observation does
Population taken into account.
Inoculated
Dheberwad ...
Not inoculated...
Inoculated
Taiwad
...
Not inoculated...
Inoculated
Machiwad ...
Not inoculated...
Inoculated
Ghanchiwad...
Not inoculated...
Inoculated
Total
...
Not inoculated...
170
10
490
9
97
8
261
35
1,018
62
Plague Attacks.
4 (2·4%)
0
65 (13·3%)
4 (44·4%)
8 (8·2)%
1 (12·5%)
7 (2·7)%
4 (11·4%)
84 (8·2%)
9 (14·5%)
Plague Deaths.
1 (0·6%)
0
23 (4·7%)
2 (22·2%)
3 (3·1%)
1 (12·5%)
4 (1·5%)
4 (11·4%)
31 (3·0%)
7 (11·3%)
Case Mortality.
25·0 per cent.
•••••
35·4 per cent.
50·0
"
37·5
"
100·0
"
57·14 "
100·0
"
36·9
"
77·7
"