26
Caste.
ther sex to the vaccinator, and can only say that the proportions, as given, must
be tolerably correct, from the amount of scrutiny the vaccinators' returns are now
submitted to. Examining these numbers as to caste, it will be found that a per-
centage of 88.8 are hindus, next come the outcastes
who range at 6.8 per cent, next the musalmans 3.4,
then the Christians 0.8 and lastly parsis who bear a proportion of about .005
percent to the total. From want of any detailed information regarding the rela-
tive proportions these different races bear in the total population, I am unable to
state with accuracy the relative popularity for vaccination these percentages may
exhibit. Casual observation however leads me to the conclusion that they give a
pretty fair idea of the relative extent to which vaccination is now received by the
different castes; and I doubt much if I could show a more proportionate popula-
rity for it amongst the musalmans and parsis even if I had exact figures at my
disposal. There is a very considerable musalman population occupying the larger
towns in this circle, more particularly the busy ports of Tháná and Kolábá, but I
find as a rule the vaccinators meet such an amount of opposition amongst them
that, they rather avoid the contest, and carry on their operations among the more
tractable hindus. The native Christian population met with in this circle is most-
ly confined to the two tálukás of Salsette and Bassein, where nearly all the sub-
jects of this creed, shown on the returns, were operated upon. They exhibited a
good deal of opposition in Salsette, and the vaccinator of that district reported to
me, more than once, difficulties he met with in Christian villages. However there
is a slight advance over last year in the number of Christians.
5. A great deal of the success of vaccination, as a prophylactic, depends
upon the age of the subject to which it is exhibited ; and bearing this in mind,
I have always endeavoured to fully impress on my assistant superintendents and
vaccinators. how much the ultimate good of their operations will be enhanced by
being carried on amongst infants of a tender age. A good many of them are ful-
ly impressed with this, but then the opposition they meet with in obtaining infants
to treat, renders nugatory to some extent their efforts in this respect. The people
are loathe to permit of their children being vaccinated until such time as they are
able to run about and partly take care of themselves; believing that, at this age
they are better able to endure the operation than when infants in arms. This is a
serious mistake and one that cannot be too frequently dilated upon. In the first
place the child of poor parents at the running about stage has very little care bes-
towed upon it; and when vaccinated, is not prevented from scratching the vesicle,
when it becomes irritable, thereby preventing it from running its natural course to
maturity, to the material detriment of its protective powers. And again the fever
of maturation seems to affect, with much greater force, children of this age than
it does infants in arms, who bear the infection with the vaccine virus with wonder-
fully little disturbance. In infants the vesicle is seldom hindered from running
its full course to maturity, principally because of their inability to either scratch
or tear it open, and so its value both as lymph giver and protective agent is consi-
derably enhanced. The former object speaks for itself, but regarding the latter
I would here beg permission for a few observations in explanation of what I mean.
A vaccine vesicle which, having reached maturity, is left unbroken and allowed
to dry up or more technically to scab, permits of, during the process, much of
the lymph it contains being absorbed into the system, and so its protective value
becomes greater in consequence of this re-absorption, which takes back portion
of the outpoured virus again into the circulation. When this fact is considered
it will be readily understood, how necessary it is, that strong efforts should be
made to ensure vaccination being carried on, when the subject is of such a
tender age as will guarantee the vesicles being left intact; and having said
so much, I now proceed to show what progress has been made in this circle in
carrying out infantile operations during the past year.
Age.
6. Of the total number of 68,399 persons primarily vaccinated 25,552 were
under one year old and 42,847 were over one year or
percentages 37.3 and 62.7 respectively. This is the