xiv
The only disadvantage which I know of against all these advantages is that the new
vaccine requires much more careful preparation than the older kinds.
The Animal Lymph Depôt.
The
animal
lymph
depôt.
10. From 12th April to October 13th, 1895, the animal lymph depôt was stationed
at Murree, and from October 15th, 1895, to March 31st, 1896, at
Amritsar.
Summer
supply
of
lymph.
While the depôt was at Murree 51 indents for lymph were received. Pure lymph
both human and from buffalo calves stored in capillary tubes,
as has hitherto been the custom in the Punjab, was sent out.
22
10
12
7
supplies gave successful results.
„
were unsuccessful.
„
result not known.
„
not used, or broken in transit.
Annual supply.
On September 2nd the annual supply of lymph to the plains was started. Three
supplies were sent out to 28 districts and then the reports on the
results awaited. Ten districts required a fourth supply; four a
fifth and one district even a sixth supply of lymph before vaccination operations could be
started in the locality. Out of 99 supplies sent out 67 were successful and 32, or nearly a
third, were unsuccessful.
This cannot be called satisfactory, although it is practically what has happened every
year since the depôt was formed.
Winter supply.
From October 15th to February 24th 42 supplies of pure buffalo calf lymph were
sent out from Amritsar. Of these 18 were successful, 14 unsuccess-
ful, and the results of the rest are unknown, as the Medical
Officers failed to communicate them.
Vaseline lymph started
at the Amritsar depôt.
On February 28th, on account of some complaints which reached me of the unsatis-
factory nature of the lymph supplied from the depôt, I started
the preparation of vaseline lymph as recommended and prepared
by Dr. Bamber. Between that date and March 31st 36 tubes of
"vaseline lymph paste" were sent out. The results of 28 of these have already been received.
In no case was there a tube which did not give successful results. From these 28 tubes
1,701 people have been vaccinated, giving an average of 60 from each tube. (From a
capillary tube only 3 or 4 people, at most, can be vaccinated). Four hundred and eighty-
one were primary vaccinations with 93.14 per cent. successful, 1,220 were re-vaccinations
with 80.82 per cent. successful. This lymph was mainly sent to Medical Officers of regi-
ments which accounts for the large number of re-vaccinations. The results are so
satisfactory that I anticipate that next autumn, if this kind of lymph is sent out from the
depôt, one supply instead of six will be sufficient to start vaccination in every district in
the plains.
Dr. Bamber has placed us in possession of a form of lymph which is practically
certain in its results. It is possible to prepare large quantities of this lymph at the depôt.
I have no hesitation in saying that enough could be prepared to vaccinate the whole of
the Punjab, should this be necessary. The depôt expenses would, of course, be increased,
but if the District authorities would give the depôt the sum they now give for buffalo
calves, they would get more vaseline lymph than they required, and the depôt would
become self-supporting.
An attempt is being made to vaccinate the Murree tahsíl and the Hazára district
this hot weather with vaseline lymph supplied from the depôt. Other experiments will
be made to test how far this lymph can be sent in the plains during the hot weather.
Notes on Vaccination in
relation to Small-pox.
11. On several occasions rumours have reached me that children have contracted
small-pox soon after being vaccinated, and at least one Civil
Surgeon, who has had great experience of vaccination, has ex-
pressed a belief that buffalo calf vaccination is not protective
against small-pox. This caused me to think over the matter, and knowing that lymph
from buffalo calves is slightly weaker than that from cow calves (as is evident from the fact-
that it has a tendency to die out a little sooner when transmitted through several generations
of buffalo calves than when similarly transmitted from cow-calf to cow-calf). I was
prepared to find that possibly it was not as efficacious as the latter. I therefore investigated
every case which I came across. I also examined carefully 108 cases of small-pox with
a view to seeing whether they had been vaccinated or not. This number, of course, is
not very large. But the figures are so definite that I think some correct general infer-
ences can be drawn from them. The whole of my tables would take up too much room in
this Report; but the results, stated briefly, are as follows :—
I searched in the Ráwalpindi, Gujránwála, Jhelum and Ferozepore districts for
cases of small-pox appearing shortly after vaccination. Eleven of these cases are given
in the table below—