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2. Of these, 5,727 were males, and 5,030 females ; 7,170 Hindoos, 1,456 Maho-
medans, 962 Christians, 949 Parsees, and 220 of other castes, chiefly Jews; 4,793
under and 5,964 above, one year of age.
3. Of the total operations 8,149, or a percentage of 75.75, were successful; in
1,033 they failed ; and in 1,575 the result could not be ascertained.
4. The lymph has been throughout of very good quality ; the success of the
lymph received from Europe and the different Superintendents of Vaccination tending
materially to this result. Want of lymph in sufficient quantities continues to harass us
as badly as ever. I might say with truth, that this is the only obstacle in the way of
the extensive spread of vaccination in Bombay worth paying any attention to. In my
humble opinion, nothing short of legislative interference on the part of the authorities
can meet and overcome this difficulty. The intelligent, well-to-do classes are much in
our way. They one and all receive all the benefits of vaccination, as a matter of
right, without, in the majority of instances, a farthing's expense; and as a return,
not only do they not allow any matter to be taken from the arms of their children, but
very often prevent us from taking lymph from the arms of children belonging to
their servants, or their poor neighbours. How long, under the present circumstances,
the department will be able to cope successfully with this difficulty, and keep vacci-
nation going on, from day to day, all the year round, in spite of this difficulty, it
would be vain of me to say. As a matter of fact, the poorer classes have long enter-
tained the belief that the Government permits the forcible taking of lymph from a
successfully vaccinated child ; and it is this belief that enables us to obtain fresh
lymph ; once disabused of it, I need not say that one and all will absolutely refuse,
and naturally so, to give any lymph ; and then vaccination, as a matter of course, must
come to a stand still; and it is only a question of time for the poor to follow the rich in
refusing lymph. To argue with the poor people is worse than useless, they are too
ignorant and illiterate to be convinced of the absolute necessity of taking lymph from
one child to vaccinate another, and of the harmlessness of the operation of removing a
little lymph from a vesicle. Nor are they at all to blame for this, seeing that all the
most intelligent and educated persons object to a drop of lymph being taken. It is
absolutely necessary to legislate for this, and it cannot be done too soon, to do away
with this anomalous state of things, and make it legal to require lymph from every
successfully vaccinated child.
5. During the past year 426 tubes were received from the several Superintendents
of Vaccination, and in our turn, we supplied 6 different outstations with 131 tubes,
356 points, 9 pairs of glasses and 9 crusts.
6. The population of Bombay, according to the last census of 1864 is 816,562.
7. During the year Rs. 6,620 were expended, comprising the salaries and
allowance of the Superintendent, the Vaccinators, and the Peons; and the contingencies
of the establishment, making the cost of each Vaccination, 9 Annas and 10 Pies.
The subordinates have given every satisfaction.