49
hundreds were vaccinated from the Dockyard employés, and the crews of the war and
troop ships that were then in the harbour. Many of these sources have naturally failed us
and hence the decrease. Indeed, had it not been for the Native regiments, and the schools
for European children, we should scarcely have had a decent number of re-vaccinations
to show in our present returns and report. Nor is there any very great likelihood of our
being called upon to perform re-vaccinations, in the members of the general community, for
some considerable time to come yet. Nor, indeed, is this to my mind any reason for
being concerned, for whatever the experience or opinion of others on the subject, I have a
firm conviction that vaccination, properly performed, with genuine lymph, is as sure a pre-
vention of small-pox as a natural attack of small-pox itself. During a professional career
of 26 years—ever since, in fact, the time of my student days in the Grant Medical College—
I can bring to my mind some eight or nine instances only of small-pox attacking persons
who, to my knowledge, were to all appearances successfully vaccinated ; and many have
heard of a few more. But in all those that I saw they were invariably of the mild varioloid
kind, and none proved fatal. The present generation of the Prabhús and Shenvís in Bombay
is for the most part protected by vaccination ; and though one meets with cases of small-
pox amongst them frequently enough, one scarcely ever hears of a case of small-pox in a
protected person, notwithstanding that their internal economy, and their customs and ob-
servances of the occasions, bring them in the most intimate contact with subjects of small-
pox.
Result.
7. Of the 1,883 re-vaccinated, only 712 proved successful, giving a percentage of suc-
cess of 44.11; in 902 the operations failed; and in 269
the result could not be ascertained
General Increase.
8. Despite the large decrease in our re-vaccinations there has been an absolute increase
of 958 in the total number operated upon, giving us an
increase of 2,618 persons primarily vaccinated ; and when
it is known that this increase was for the most part in children under one year of age, the
result of the past year's work cannot but be taken as in every way satisfactory, at least
so far as it goes. The number operated upon primarily stood thus as to ages :—8,015 under
and 6,517 above one year of age. In the history of the Presidency Vaccine Department
this is the first year wherein not only there has been a large amount of work done, but.
the number of persons vaccinated under one year of age has exceeded, and that to an ap-
preciable extent, those above that age. Indeed, the number of persons vaccinated under
one year of age itself exceeds the average annual work of many years past, excluding the
last two or three. Thus far every thing is satisfactory. But I am afraid this will tell
materially on our operations during the current year.
Lymph.
9. We always had a large supply of very good lymph
on hand.
Animal Vaccination.
10. Owing to the exceptional circumstances of the year we had to inoculate 241 hei-
fers. Of these all but eleven proved successful. Of the eleven
failures six were inoculated with lymph received from Dr
Warlomont. We received from this gentleman in all nine supplies of animal lymph. The
first seven of these failed completely, but the last two, received and used in the month of
March last, both proved successful. The following table shows our monthly animal inocu-
lations, with the nature of lymph used, and the result of the operations :—
7 VAC