xii
CALCUTTA AND THE SUBURBS.
As these new Superintendents have so lately joined, it would be premature to speak fully
regarding their qualifications.
They have already, however, given fair promise of their fitness for the duties entrusted to
them. None of them are afraid of the hard work which has fallen to their share. Each of
them recognizes the necessity for special exertion, and though they have already experienced
personally the rebuffs and discouragements they will have to encounter, none of them has
shown any symptom of faint-heartedness or of want of perseverance.
There seems every reason to hope therefore that after five years of work, should they
continue to advance as they have begun, such an impression will be made on the people
who have hitherto not accepted of vaccination as to leave Calcutta and its suburbs in a state
of protection from small-pox such as it has never yet enjoyed.
Character of the vaccination.
Numbers vaccinated.
3. During the past season the good effects of efficient supervision over the vaccinators
has already begun to make itself felt in the im-
provement in the character of the vaccinations.
Although the new Superintendents have been so short a time in charge, their presence at
the time that the weather began to get hot and inflammatory results had to be guarded against,
was most opportune.
Owing to their personal efforts, the vaccinators have been kept better in hand, and have
therefore been more careful both in regard to their selection of virus and to the method of
operating. Last year I had to comment upon shortcomings in respect to the character of
the vaccination, and considering the influence which the absence of irritation and other
unpleasant consequences exercises on the popularity which vaccination will ultimately enjoy,
the improvement this year noted is a matter of some interest.
During the year from May to April inclusive, three thousand nine hundred and fourteen
persons, residents of Calcutta, have been vaccinated, exclusive of cases of re-vaccination and
cases in which the result was not ascertained. Of these, three thousand six hundred and
forty-four cases have proved successful; the percentage of success here arrived at being
98.40. In the suburbs, excluding in the same way cases in which the result was not
ascertained and re-vaccination cases, five thousand nine hundred and twenty-seven cases were
vaccinated among the resident population, with a result of five thousand eight hundred and
twelve successful vaccinations. Here the percentage of success has been 98.05.
Besides this, other persons not permanent residents have been vaccinated, but as the
result does not bear materially on the protection of Calcutta from small-pox, such cases are
separated to allow of a comparison being made year by year of the amount of protection
afforded to Calcutta.
The numbers vaccinated in the town remain much the same as last year, while some
advance has been made in the suburbs.
An epidemic of measles interfering with vac-
cination.
4. Calcutta has been this year visited by an epidemic of measles which has been widely
spread through the city, and in many places seems
to have affected almost every house. Just at the
time that vaccination is most readily taken by the
people, this epidemic had become very exteusively diffused. Its presence in so very many
houses at one time constituted a very formidable difficulty while endeavouring to get people
to have their children vaccinated.
Not only were the children with the disease not available for the vaccinators to operate
on, but as for long many of them remained in an indifferent state of health, the shortness of
the vaccinating season precluded the possibility of vaccinating many who might otherwise
have been protected. As might be expected, those averse to allow their children to be vacci-
nated, were not slow in urging the prevalence of the epidemic as an excuse ; while many from
timidity refrained from bringing their children forward, who under other circumstances would
not have held back in the way they did.
The want of measures of medical police for
arresting small-pox epidemics at their commence-
ment.
5. In the appendix of last year's report this subject was treated at length in a separate
report. The urgency for some arrangement which
would place Calcutta in a position of security against
small-pox, w s brought forward. The subject of how
these epidemics arose and spread was discussed, and
after showing the facility with which small-pox epidemics could be prevented, attention was