54
Out of the aggregate number of cases, viz., 621 (including persons of different castes, as
detailed in the annexed return), 260 were successful, 98 unsuccessful, and 263 unknown. From
subsequent observations of a great number of cases abovementioned as unknown, which
presented vesicles as characteristic and as satisfactory as those shown in the column " Success-
ful," and also from the reports received regarding the effects produced in the rest of them,
I am led to believe that almost the whole of the unascertained number had succeeded; so
that, to be on the safest side, taking three-fourths of that number as successful, the ratio of
the successful cases comes to about 82.3 per cent. on the whole number vaccinated. Consider-
ing that its introduction is comparatively recent, the result appears to me to be encouraging
and satisfactory.
Fresh lymph from an inoculated heifer, from 6 to 15 months old, was always used, and
the resulting vesicles were larger, better formed, and more distinctive than those produced by
the insertion of humanized lymph. Cicatrices showing a marked depression in the centre
presented, invariably, the characteristic foveation. The experiments which were made by
the transmission of animal lymph from arm-to-arm were attended with better results than
those in which the pure human lymph was used. A close and careful observation, although
extending over a limited period, not exceeding (20) twenty months, in the practice of animal
vaccination, has confirmed me in the belief that generally it affords better protection to
human life than humanized lymph, and am further induced to remark that if it is carried on
for some time with patient and persevering application, it will not fail in all probability to
result in its ultimate success.
When small-pox had prevailed fearfully in the camp and city, from the month of January
to March last, I observed that several persons vaccinated from arm-to-arm were subject to it,
though not severely ; but not a single person vaccinated from animal lymph was affected by
it, except in three or four cases in which children were vaccinated with animal lymph a day
or two previous to being attacked by small-pox, and which, of course, failed on the children's
catching the small-pox severely.
I had but very seldom occasion to suspect a failure from any defect in the lymph, but in
some instances dry weather causing coagulation of the lymph at the point of the lancet, the
insufficiency of the lymph, or an improper insertion of the same in punctures at the time of
transferring it either to the human subject or to another heifer conspired, in my mind, to be
the causes for failure in bringing about vesicles of the typical form.
During the past year, I have inoculated 83 heifers, and have failed in 8 of them. These
failures made me anxious, and I could not account for them satisfactorily to myself except
that the calves might have been previously inoculated, or the causes enumerated in the above
paragraph might have operated in bringing them about. It is to be regretted that, generally
in the mofussil, the people whom we have to deal with for the purposes of vaccination, are
ignorant and illiterate, and although they are not, generally speaking, averse to it, yet not
unfrequently the vaccinators or peons have to contend with the unyielding opposition of some
of them, who, having prejudices against it, thwart the most sanguine endeavours on the part
of the vaccinators in the promotion of the cause of vaccination. Again, there are others who
appreciate the value of vaccination inasmuch as it saves lives dear to them, and they there-
fore bring their children some miles to be vaccinated. But after they are operated on, and
as soon as the parents are sure that the operation will not have to be repeated, they leave
their permanent or temporary abodes without the knowledge of the peons, for fear that the
lymph would be taken from their children's arms. No amount of persuasion of reasoning
could dispel their groundless fears, nor could they be brought to an understanding that it
would be for the welfare of their own offsprings, that they should show them to the Medical
Officer, who alone can decide whether the object of the vaccination was fully attained or not.