7
tion is not only becoming more popular year by year, but is carried on system-
atically in every part of the Province. Considerable efforts are being made to
overcome the prejudices of the people in places in which the opposition against
the prophylactic is still active.
Municipalties in which
little or no assistance
was given to the vaccin¬
ators.
21. In the towns of Rohtak, Bahadurgarh,Mahim and Jhajjar in the Rohtak
district, and Mahetpur, Shahkot and Nur Mahal in the Jullun¬
dur district, and in the Municipal towns of the Shahpur dis-
trict, however, the Civil Surgeons report that the Members of
the Municipal Committees give little or no assistance to the vaccinators. This
does not speak well in favor of the gentlemen composing these municipalities.
It is hoped that endeavours will be made during the current year to secure their
sympathy and active co-operation in the work of vaccination.
Arm to arm method.
22. As far as practicable the "arm-to-arm" method has been adopted
throughout the Province owing to many advantages it posses-
ses over other methods of vaccination. There are, however,
serious obstacles in the way of fully carrying out this system among the higher
classes of the population, especially in Municipal towns, notably in the districts
of Ludhiána, Muzaffargarh, Gurdáspur and Lahore. The people, it appears,
would not allow lymph to-be taken from the arms of the vaccinifer. This pre-
judice caused much inconvenience in very many cases, as for instance, in the
city of Lahore, and impeded the work. "The people were willing to have their
children vaccinated," says Dr. Center in his report, "but there is a strong pre-
judice against allowing lymph to be taken. There is an ignorant prejudice on
the part of the mothers that it is dangerous to the child. It is impossible to
overcome the prejudice at present and it limits operations and compels the vacci-
nators to utilize one vaccinifer for as many as possible. Rewards of two and
finally of four annas were offered for each vaccinifer but without the slightest
effect. There must be some reason for this powerful prejudice. I believe it is
due to two causes, one is that, while the prejudice lasts, the vaccinators are
compelled to vaccinate as large a number as possible from each vaccinifer they
can get, and thus may set up irritation of the vesicles ; the other is the filthy
way the children are kept in consequence of which dirt may get into an open
sore and set up irritation or erysipelas."
During the year under review, a very sharp outbreak of small-pox
occurred in the city, the weekly mortality from the disease rose from 26 in
November to 91 in December 1885. ''The panic," says Dr. Center, "was so
great that the people became extremely anxious to get their children vacci-
nated, but after they were done the mothers refused to allow lymph to be
taken. The demand was so strong that I directed the vaccinators to ope-
rate first on those who agreed to allow lymph to be taken. It was found
that they generally agreed to do so, but ran away when it was required."
23. To meet this difficulty Dr. Center made the following arrange-
ments :—
The successful experi-
ments of Dr. Center for
procuring lymph from
the calf.
"Lymph, preserved in tubes, was got from the vaccinators in the villages,
sets of 18, 20 or more tubes were thus occasionally supplied.
This gave some assistance, but of course could in no way
replace 'arm-to-arm' vaccination. Afterwards, with the
sanction of the Municipal Committee, I wrote to the Establish-
ment for animal vaccination at Calcutta, asking them to send as much calf
lymph as they could. About 12 tubes were sent, but they proved utterly useless
when tried on children and calves. Finally I decided to vaccinate calves in
order to get a lymph supply. I first tried the calves in my own compound
and those of other European gentlemen, introducing lymph from a child by
puncture, and on the third trial succeeded. The first time I tried it in the
ears and the shaved hump as being places that could not be licked by the calf,
also in the udder. The second time it was done in the udder and belly, and
failed. I noticed that this calf had a few pustules which had the appearance
of the natural cow-pox. The third time all the punctures succeeded. Arrange-
ments were made with the man in charge of the well bullocks at the Mayo
Hospital to supply on contract as many calves each month as were required.
After the first calf took, there was no further difficulty, as each successive calf
was vaccinated from the former with certainty. No special appliances were
found to be necessary. And every thing was done with the greatest simplicity