4
operated on, the Station was transferred to Mazagon, where, at that time, Small-pox was
prevalent to a great extent.
From the thickly-populated state of the Fort, it would naturally be expected that a Station
there could be permanently kept up, and many persons vaccinated; but four months stay
there convinced me that the task was not quite so hopeful. The greater part of the community
of the Fort consists of Bunyas, Bhatyas, and Parsees, and there can be no doubt that there
must be unprotected children amongst them ; but very few presented themselves for Vaccination.
It is a singular circumstance that the Parsees, should be backward in availing themselves of
the advantages of Vaccination. A few Parsee children were occasionally brought to the
Station, but the number was so small, as to be almost nothing compared to the number of
Parsees that now reside in the Fort. With the Bunyas and Bhatyas it was almost a hopeless
task ; nothing could induce the majority of them to have their children vaccinated, much less
could they be prevailed upon to have them brought over to the Station. We were conse-
quently, towards the end of January, obliged to remove the Station from the Fort, as the time
at our command was precious, and could not be wasted in fruitless attempts at inducing the
obdurate Bhatyas and Bunyas to avail themselves of the advantages of Vaccination.
The district of Mahim was not provided for in the scheme as originally framed; and as
Small-pox was prevailing there to a great extent, the Fort Station was immediately transferred to
that locality. Happily we met with little or no opposition there. The greater number of the
inhabitants seem to have perfect confidence in the prophylactic virtues of Vaccination, and
nothing could have been more welcome to them, the more so as Small-pox was committing
considerable ravages in the neighbourhood. For months together, we weekly visited this part
of the Island, including Augar, Wurlee, Naguam, Sion, and vaccinated a great many children.
The success of the operations was also very considerable ; indeed, there were very few cases
of failure. Of all the parts of the Island, Mahim is the only one where Vaccination can be
said to have at all satisfactorily progressed.
When Small-pox was spreading rapidly all over the Island, it was thought very desirable
to extend Vaccination over as extensive a part of it as possible, and the Stations were therefore
opened in the evening as well as in the morning.
The Girgaum Station, on account of the thinly-populated state of its vicinity, was never
very largely attended, and it was temporarily closed in October, in order to establish one between
Mandavee and Dongaree ; but towards the end of December, we returned to the original Station
at Girgaum. Though this Station was chiefly intended for the convenience of the European
residents of Malabar Hill and Mahaluxamee, yet, strange to say, none ever availed themselves
of it, as the generality prefer taking their children to the Byculla Station to be vaccinated
The Mazagon Station was closed, after visiting it continuously for three or four months A.
Station was opened at Parell for a few weeks, in connection with the one at Byculla. Within
the last month, the Mahim Station has also been given up, and one re-established at Colaba,
where no vaccine operations were carried on for eight months together. The morning
Stations stood thus on the 31st of December 1859—
Monday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tuesday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wednesday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thursday . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .
Friday . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .
Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Byculla.
Nagdavee.
Dhobee Tank.
Byculla.
Colaba.
Girgaum.
We have thus, during the course of the year, gone over the whole extent of Bombay,
meeting with more or less success in the different localities.
As the result of these operations, 7,999 persons were vaccinated—a number though less by
710 than the total vaccinated in the preceding year, yet greater, by about 390, than the