8
In submitting the Report on Vaccination for the year 1868, it is necessary to
premise that the state of supervision, as mentioned in the 4th paragraph of the
Inspector General Indian Medical Department's letter, No. 1406 of the 27th April
1868, in his report on vaccination throughout the Bombay Presidency for the year
1867, obtained till near September 1868, when I took over charge of the Department
from Surgeon Major Pitman, who, in consequence of his holding a regimental
charge, in addition to that of Acting Superintendent of Vaccination, was pre-
cluded from exercising any active supervision in the districts; so that during the
year under review, and a great portion of the preceding one, the work of a few Vac¬
cinators only has been inspected. Bearing this in mind, in commencing my tour,
I deemed it expedient to visit as many of the Vaccinators as practicable, and
examine the lymph in use, rather than make long sojourns in the talookas as
testing their old work, and being then prevented seeing as many as I otherwise have
done; and I believe this course has been fully justified by the results, which will be
hereafter noted. I have, however, always carefully tested some months' work of each
Vaccinator in a few villages, and had there been any great errors, or falsifications, I
cannot but believe that I should have, at some time, met with them. In the above
comparative table there is a considerable increase of vaccinations over that of any
former year, from which it may be inferred that the natives are becoming more alive
to the benefits of vaccination,
2. Before, however, this table can be easily understood, it is requisite to notice the
changes that have taken place in this Circle during the year, necessitating, in order to
compare the actual results with the year, an alteration of the number reported vacci-
nated, in the various establishments in 1867. In October last, Rutnagherry and
Sawant Warree districts were constituted a part of the " Western Circle," hence it
becomes necessary to deduct the total vaccinations performed in them for the year
1867, from the totals of that year. Also, this is required in comparing the work done
under the Municipalities; for instance, in 1867 the number vaccinated under them was
6,941, deducting those vaccinated in Punderpore, which is not now in this Circle,
316, gives 6,625 as the correct number for comparison.
Excluding, then, Rutnagherry, the total vaccinations of the Government establish-
ment in 1867, were 20,979, against 23,962 in the present year under report, thus ex-
hibiting an increase of 2,983.
The total vaccinations performed in this Circle exclusive of all establishments, is
54,000 ; of these 51,571 are reported as successful, giving a percentage of success of
95.5, the exact rate which obtained in the Government establishment in 1867.
Deducting the number of operations performed, as above explained, in Rutna-
gherry, Sawant Warree, and Punderpore, from the total of 1867, there will be shown
the true number for that year vacccinated in this Circle, as at present constituted, viz :
41,270 ; of which 39,179 were successful, or a percentage of 94.9 ; comparing this with
the total 54,000 of the present year, there is exhibited an increase of 12,730, as also
an increase in the percentage of successfully vaccinated.