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preached amongst the people, would have found a ready hearing, as I am told
many of these men have a great influence over the lower classes. In this instance
Dr. Poput Parburam Vaid again most willingly offered his services. His father,
who is one of the leading and most enlightened vaids in Bombay, established a
medical school for vaids in Girgaum, which is now presided over by his son, who
lectures to the students on Native and English medicines. This school is largely
attended by students from B. and C. Wards, so that Dr. Poput knows something
of most of the vaids in Bombay. Frequent meetings were held at this school in the
presence of myself and Lieutenant Brackenbury, at which Dr. Poput Parburam and
his father spoke at length on the advantages of inoculation. In addition to this
we took a great number of these Vaids to the Laboratory at Parel, where the whole
process of the preparation, &c., was shown and explained to them. Some of the
vaids came forward for inoculation themselves. Others, though not inoculated, were
induced to admit that it was not harmful or objectionable on religious grounds, and
many who might have preached against it promised to take up a neutral position.
These satisfactory results were, I consider, in no small measure due to Dr. Poput's
personal influence over these vaids, as well as to his untiring efforts and devotion
to a cause in which he has the most implicit faith.
A very large and influential meeting was organised at the Gaiety Theatre,
which was very kindly placed at my disposal for the occasion by the Managing
Proprietor. I was anxious to secure the services of the most influential leaders of
communities in the ward, and, again through Dr. Poput's instrumentality, Seth
Veerchand Deepchand, C.I.E., one of the most prominent Jains in Bombay, was
induced to preside over the meeting. It was largely attended, and was in every way
a grand success. Sir Bhalchandra Krishna, Dr. Ismail Jan Mahomed, Dr. Poput
Parburam Vaid, and others, addressed the meeting. I myself, Dr. Poput Parburam,
Rao Saheb Purshotum Odhowji, Dr. Purshotum Harichand, Dr. Rao Saheb Missir,
and numerous others, came forward for inoculation. In all 75 persons were inoculat-
ed. I hoped that Mr. Veerchand Deepchand's countenancing such a mass meeting
would have had a wholesome influence on the rest of his community, but unfortu-
nately my hope was not realised. The Jains have not taken to inoculation.
Lieutenant Browne, Assistant District Officer in C. Ward, was very
successful with inoculation in the Kumbharwada Section. He writes
as follows :—
The system adopted was this. Having satisfied ourselves that a case of pingue
had occurred in a house we decided what houses would have to he vacated. In
Kumbharwada, where the houses are for the most part very filthy and all the
houses more or less connected, it generally meant one storey. The volunteers then
came and spoke to the people. As a rule they came round readily enough, but they
generally wanted to have one person per room left so as to look after them in case
they got fever. This was allowed, and then the people who were coming for-
ward were carefully tested with the thermometer, and if they passed the tests per-
formed upon them we tried the remaining occupants of the house, and generally got
some of those. The next day I always came round and had a look at the inoculated
persons and gave relief to those whose arms were very bad or who could not go to
work owing to fever. We then came round again another day, and tried to get the
remainder we had left behind tho first time. I admit that this was not satisfactory
altogether, but it was better to save a few lives than none at all, as, in my humble
opinion, in Kumbharwada evacuation, unless it is carried out by the whole street at
a time, is procrastination. Time after time in certain houses the people would be
sent to camp, stay 10 or 15 days, and about 4 days after their return some one
would develop plague. All this time the inoculated persons were living in the same