VACCINATION REPORT.
11
when calves could not be obtained, and pointed to the feasibility of regenerating
lymph that had been subjected to prolonged transmission from calf to calf.
24. Surgeon-Major Lancaster brought to notice that if an animal were required
to take the place of the calf, it would be advisable to use the goat. He apparently
made no experiments upon this subject himself, whilst all recorded evidence goes
to show that this animal, if susceptible to vaccination at all, is very feebly so. I
accordingly inocculated a goat; the resulting vesicles were exceedingly small, and
the use of the lymph upon the human being was followed by no result. A
Monsieur Hervieux, however, contends, for reasons that need not here be detailed,
that the goat should be preferred to the bovine species. An account of his
experiments has not yet been published, and I consider that these results may be
safely awaited before any action be taken in this matter. In the meantime,
having regard to Hindu modes of thought, it is well that the truth—gratefully
recognized from different points of view by people of every race—that one of the
most useful animals to man, viz., the cow, further proves its value in the capability
of rendering the virus of a loathsome and fatal disease innocuous, should be
widely acknowledged. Indeed, so far as investigations go, there is no animal
which so effectually performs this function as the cow. For example, with
reference to the suggested use of the donkey, there is reason to believe that the
virus, instead of becoming modified, would in time become aggravated in intensity,
owing to the tendency to reversion; thus, Warlomont declared, after a large num-
ber of experiments, that the soil afforded by the equine species is " detestable."
But, for this very reason, the occasional." strengthening" of the lymph, by passing
through the country pony, or, as suggested by Dr. O'Hara through the cheaper
donkey, need by no means be regarded as otherwise than of advantage under
the circumstances above referred to: but, direct transfer to the human subject
need not be practised. It is well, however, with reference to facilities of supply,
that local authorities should recognize that although the heifer makes the best
vaccinifer, young male bulls may also be employed, and that buffaloes are suscep-
tible. In the Punjab, the latter animal has been largely utilized.
EXPERIMENTS AS TO THE PRESERVATION AND TRANSPORT
OF ANIMAL LYMPH.
25. When animal lymph has been transmitted to operators in the ordinary
capillary tube, it has been found that the life of the vaccine virus is limited to a
period varying from 24 hours to 10 days in exceptional instances, according to the
heat of the weather and mode of transport. It has been suggested that the
capillary tube conduces to a condition of coagulation which is inimical; but even
where specially devised tubes have been employed, it has been shown that the
stored material suffers in transport. Thus, as early as 1876, I attempted intro-
duction of animal vaccination in Trichinopoly, with lymph received in these tubes
from Dr. Warlomont of Brussels; although sent by the overland route, it arrived in
an inactive condition. Under these circumstances, with reference to the proposed
substitution of humanized by animal lymph throughout the Presidency, it is a
foregone conclusion that unless complicated apparatus be employed for trans-
mission, either calves must be sent with vaccinators whilst on their tours, or depôts
would have to be established at such frequent intervals in districts, that the under-
taking would prove most expensive. Under the former mode, a certain amount of
lymph may be wasted whilst waiting for cases which might not be forthcoming; in
the latter, the expenditure required is found to be very heavy. Were a simple
method of preservation of the lymph available, all difficulties would be effectually
overcome; all the advantages of the animal lymph would be secured, whilst the
monetary value of each calf employed would be reaped to its full. In connection
with this subject, Government having kindly made a small money grant for the
purpose, I have, with the aid of Deputy Inspector Subroya Chetty (placed at my
disposal by the Health Officer of Madras), during the last four months, performed
a very large number of experiments. I necessarily first employed the methods of
preservation recognized in European countries, but found these useless when sub-
jected to the severe heat of a Madras hot season. I then attempted experiments
with substances that whilst capable of restraining the action of germs of decomposi¬