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" In animal vaccination, we have now provided to us the means of producing a
" supply of lymph, the purest and most effective, to an unlimited extent "
It appears to me that these paragraphs explain the reason why the practice of
animal vaccination has met with exceptional favour in Bombay. In that presidency
vaccination is carried on all the year round, and there are within its limits no lofty
mountains from which to draw fresh supplies of tubes and crusts. Under these circum-
stances, there must be a constant tendency to degeneration of lymph, however carefully
it may be transmitted from arm to arm; so that I can easily understand that the intro-
duction of animal vaccination has proved a boon to the city of Bombay. On the other
hand, I can see no advantage to be derived from its introduction into the North¬
Western Provinces, where ample supplies of lymph can always be procured from the
Himalaya mountains, and where there is during winter no tendency to degeneration of
lymph, provided ordinary care is used in transmitting it from arm to arm. In para. 8
of his report Dr. Pringle mentions that the Tehree establishment has been diminished.
I am glad to say this is no longer the case, as Dr. Pringle has informed me by a letter
that the Rajah of Tehree has acceded to his wishes, and that the full establishment has
again been entertained.
11. Dr. Milne, in his report on the Benares Circle, mentions the difficulties he
has experienced with regard to the new forms of vaccine returns. The difficulties
attending the preparation of these forms have been severely felt in all parts of the
North-Western Provinces, but, as can be easily understood, these difficulties are great-
est in Benares, where, in addition to the regular establishment, Dr. Milne has entertained
a number of old inoculators, men who are generally quite uneducated and unable to
read and write. In para. 8 of his report, Dr. Milne mentions the attempt he made in
Benares to keep separate returns of operations for each police-station, instead of keep-
ing, as formerly, one register for each tehseel.
This was also tried in Rohilkhund, and the Rohilkhund returns can be submitted to
Government if required, but as the Superintendents of the Agra, Allahabad, and Be-
nares Circles have sent in their returns for tehseels, and not for police-stations, I have
preferred to send in the Rohilkhund returns so as to correspond with those of the other
circles. In para. 13, Dr. Milne mentions the result of his experiments on animal vacci-
nation. As it is difficult to judge accurately of such experiments, performed while
marching daily, I propose, with Dr. Milne's assistance, to conduct a series of experi-
ments on cows and buffaloes in Almorah this autumn. Hitherto I have not been able to
try any experiments myself, as I was obliged to march rapidly during the whole of the
last winter.
12. On the 14th November, 1870, Dr. Richardson took charge of the office of
Superintendent of Vaccination, Allahabad and Jhansie Circle.
The chief peculiarity of this circle is, that within the last three years, and owing
chiefly to the exertions of Dr. Stratton, Political Agent at Nowgong, no less than
thirty-one local vaccinators have been entertained and paid for by the various Rajahs of
Bundelkhund. It cannot of course be expected that the work of these local vaccinators
should be equal to that of old and well-trained Government vaccinators, and it is pro-
bable that for some years to come the average number of persons vaccinated by each
vaccinator, as well as the percentage of successful cases, will be lower in the Alla-
habad Circle, taken as a whole, than in any of the other circles. At all events, such
has been the case this year.
In para. 10, Dr. Richardson mentions the great success that has attended arm-to-
arm vaccination as compared with vaccination done from lymph carried on ivory
points. The only argument in favour of the ivory-point system is that high-caste
Natives sometimes object to have their children vaccinated with lymph taken in their
presence from the arms of children belonging to any lower caste. This feeling will
no doubt gradually disappear, but it is still felt in many parts of the North-Western