( 16)
vaccination should be vigorously encouraged, with the view of doing away
with human lymph altogether.
The objects of both depôts are—
(a) To preserve animal lymph in such a way that it may remain active
for long periods.
(b) To keep up a sufficient stock of preserved lymph for supply to
district officials for emergencies, such as the outbreak of small-
pox at any time of the year, especially during the recess months,
which correspond with the hot weather, when lymph is not
procurable locally.
(c) To supply animal lymph in sufficient quantities during the working
season to enable the district vaccine establishment to dispense
with lymph obtained from the human subject, and thus to avoid
the evils and the pain attendant on arm-to-arm vaccination.
After many experiments, extending over a number of years, the first of
these objects, viz., the preservation of lymph, has at last been achieved in
Bengal by the admixture of lanoline—a method discovered by Dr. King of the
Madras Sanitary Department. The procedure is very simple and effectual, and
the lymph so obtained has given complete satisfaction not only in Bengal, but
also in distant places where it has been tried, such as Hyderabad, Port Blair,
and Penang. The following extract from a letter received on the 17th May
last from the Colonial Surgeon at Penang is worth quoting. He says:—
" I have the honour to tender you my thanks for having sent for trial some of the
vaccine lymph prepared with lanoline, and to report that, of 88 persons vaccinated, perfect
vesicles followed in 76 cases, modified in 3 cases, and failure in 5 cases only; 4 cases
were not seen. This result is so satisfactory as compared with English lymph that I have
recommended the Principal Civil Medical Officer at Singapore to try to enter into an agreement
with you for supplying the Straits Settlements Government with vaccine lymph regularly."
It will thus be seen that lymph prepared with lanoline can be carried long
distances, under various changes of temperature, without becoming inert, and
so far the Bengal depôts may be said to have completely justified their existence.
With regard to the second object also, viz., the supply to district officials
of fresh lymph for emergencies, the depôts have proved to be very useful.
But the third point, viz., the supply of sufficient quantities of animal lymph to
enable the district staff to do away with the use of human lymph altogether,
has not and cannot be achieved without the establishment of several more
depôts at an enormous increase of expenditure, as explained in paragraph 13
which, of course, is out of the question.
Attitude of the people towards
vaccination.
16. Generally speaking, the attitude of the people towards vaccination
is one of passive acceptance of the prophylactic,
but in nearly every district there are sections
of the community, specially Marwaris (Hindus) and
Ferazis (Mussalmans) who habitually refuse vaccination either openly or
covertly, and, as stated in last year's Annual Report, there is a growing feeling
of opposition. This does not seem to be due so much to vaccination itself
as to the use of human vaccinifers and inability or disinclination on the part of
the people to pay the vaccinator's fee. I am convinced that if vaccination was
given to the people free of charge, there would be far less opposition. Why
should not District Boards pay for vaccination in rural areas as municipalities
do in towns ? In the Punjab, and I believe also in the Central Provinces,
District Boards pay for vaccination, and I can see no reason why they should
not do so in Bengal. It is only a matter of the vaccinators pay and contingen-
cies, the cost of the supervising staff, as at present, being borne by Government.
In the district of Delhi, in the Punjab, with a population of 634,244 (which
is a little less than half the population of Burdwan) vaccination cost the
District Board Rs. 300 last year. Twelve vaccinators were employed; they
performed about 22,387 operations, and an average of one rupee was paid
for the hire of a calf. Surely a district like Burdwan could pay about Rs. 600
or Rs. 700 per annum for vaccination. While I was on inspection duty last
month at Puri, where great opposition to vaccination is experienced, I took the
opportunity of suggesting to the members of the District Board that a great
deal of it might be overcome if vaccination were given to the people free. I