8
The difficulty of procur-
ing fresh lymph one of the
principal reasons why the
number
of
vaccinations
done has been compara-
tively small.
17. One of the principal reasons why the number of vaccinations
done in the Province has been comparatively small has been
the difficulty of obtaining fresh lymph. Parents are very
unwilling to allow lymph to be taken from their children,
and hence workhas at times been brought almost to a stand-
still. This difficulty has been particularly felt among the
higher classes. They refuse to allow their own children to be used as vaccini¬
fers, and object to take lymph from the arms of low caste children. This diffi-
culty is being obviated by the introduction of vaccination with animal lymph,
and the favorable results obtained this year lead me to hope that in a very
few years arm to arm vaccination will be almost entirely replaced by vacci-
nation with animal lymph, and I trust that in consequence of this change the
number of vaccinations done will soon be considerably greater than it is at
present.
The history of animal
lymph vaccination in this
Province.
18. Animal lymph was first employed in this Province for vaccinat-
ing children of the general population in the season of
1885-86 by Doctor Center, the Civil Surgeon of Lahore,
and Doctor Mulroney, the Civil Surgeon of Gujrát. These
two Civil Surgeons, finding considerable difficulty in obtaining human lymph,
vaccinated heifers, and employed the lymph taken from them for vaccination
purposes. During that season Doctor Mulroney vaccinated 2,177 Muhammadan
children and Doctor Center 112 children, of whom 25 were Hindús, with calf
lymph. In the following year 14,144 persons were vaccinated with calf
lymph in the Gujrát District, and 1,259 were vaccinated in Lahore with calf
and buffalo lymph. In the year 1887-88 the method of animal lymph
vaccination was again used in the Gujrát and Lahore Districts, and a con-
siderable number of vaccinations with animal lymph was performed in the
Amritsar District. It having been found that in many instances Hindús
objected to lymph taken from the calf of the cow, young buffalos were
vaccinated and lymph was taken from them for vaccinating purposes. Alto-
gether 24,287 persons were vaccinated with animal lymph in 1887-88. Of
these, 14,613 were vaccinated with calf lymph and 9,674 with buffalo calf
lymph.
In the following year, in addition to the three districts abovementioned,
animal lymph was extensively used in Gurdáspur, and to a less extent in Hazára,
Siálkot, Jhelum, Delhi and several other districts. Altogether 104,172 persons
were vaccinated with animal lymph in 1883-89; in 93,774 of these operations
buffalo lymph, and in 10,398 calf lymph, was employed.
In the review of the Vaccination Report for 1888-89, His Honor the
Lieutenant-Governor remarks that no effort should be spared to improve and still
further extend the system of animal lymph vaccination. A copy of the Govern-
ment of India's letter No. 3—202 (Home Department, Sanitary), dated 29th June,
with copies of Doctor Barclay's Report on animal vaccination was also forwarded
to me under cover of Punjab Government No. 454, dated 5th August 1889. In
that letter it is noted that the Governor-General in Council is strongly of opinion
that the work of animal vaccination in India should be vigorously encouraged.
A copy of Doctor Barclay's Report was accordingly sent to all Civil Surgeons,
who were requested to make use of lymph taken from either the buffalo or cow
calf in all cases in which, in consultation with Deputy Commissioners, they con-
sidered it advisable to do so. Civil Surgeons were also requested to send one or
more Vaccinators to Lahore or Amritsar to learn how to vaccinate with animal
lymph.
The very satisfactory ex-
tension of animal lymph
vaccination during 1889-90.
19. Most Civil Surgeons have paid much attention to this matter, and,
with the exception of some of the frontier districts, and
Kángra, Umballa, and Fezorepore, animal lymph has, to a
greater or less extent, been employed in the different dis-
tricts of the Province, as may be seen from the following statement:—