67
will be alluded to presently ; of these cases 695 were among children under one year,
the ages of 101 being above that amount, a greater number of the latter class being prison-
ers who were vaccinated on admission into Jail, as a precautionary measure, when they
did not present unequivocal signs of having had small-pox, or of having been vaccinated
previously. With regard to sex, 492 were males, 304 females. 682 were Hindoos,
67 Mussulmans, 2 Christians, and 40 other castes. No Parsees were vaccinated, but
there are very few in Kaira, and they seldom allow the operation to be performed.
With reference to the result of the operations, it will be seen from the return, that 84
have been unsuccessful, and 74 doubtful, out of the total number. This is an unusually
large number, but the great majority of the prisoners vaccinated were operated
on, either without, or at least very doubtful, results, as might have been expected.
The parents of the children operated on are very careless about preserving the vesicles
intact until mature, and consequently the result is not as good as it would otherwise
be.
The work of the Vaccinator is principally confined to the town, but when there is,
a scarcity of available subjects there, he vaccinates in the surrounding villages ; did he
not do so, he would lose his lymph sometimes, from the difficulty of getting a continu-
ous succession of suitable subjects. He also vaccinates, when he has an opportunity,
strangers and their children, who come to the town on business, or reside here tempo-
rarily. He is allowed a Peon by the Municipality to assist him in the search for and
collection of children requiring the operation ; the same Peon now always accompany-
ing him when at his work.
The quality of the lymph and vesicles has been good throughout the year, and
the Vaccinator has performed his work satisfactorily and diligently. In the months of
August and September there was a failure in the supply of lymph, owing to floods
cutting him off from children whom he had vaccinated, and on whom he was dependent
for the continuance of the supply, and considerable difficulty was experienced in get-
ting a fair supply in hand, owing to lymph sent in tubes having failed, and the diffi-
culty of getting a child brought with good lymph from the district Vaccinator at that
season. These difficulties were at last overcome, and there is now a full and
continuous supply. From the above causes the numbers vaccinated during August and
September were 44 and 17 respectively, a diminution which has told in the annual
return. Vaccination inspections are held monthly, and the character of the lymph and
the vaccination work generally thereby ascertained. The inhabitants of the town and
neighbourhood seem to appreciate and understand the value of the operation, and as a
rule do not object to have it performed on themselves or their children, though they
are exceedingly slothful and careless about it, and require to be sought out for the
purpose. The Parsees seem to have the greatest objection to the operation. The
beneficial effects of the operation are well marked in preventing epidemic attacks of
small-pox, and though sporadic cases are of constant occurrence, the great majority of
the juvenile population are protected by vaccination, while the seniors have been