( 11 )
The staff of vaccinators at work during the season under report has thus been
35, showing an increase of one to the number of last year.
4. What I reported in reference to the activity of the lymph received from the
depôt last year, applies also to the store obtained at the commencement of this season.
The vesicle consequently proved good, and care having been always taken to remove the
lymph at the proper time, it continued effective until the close of the season. The re-
gular supply received from the Central Vaccine Institution, Edinburgh, has enabled
me to replace the lymph in use, when I found such at all weak, and also to meet the
requirements of the Civil Surgeons in the division. The reason of their demand for
English lymph is the prejudice that exists in the minds of many European mothers
against having their infants vaccinated from Native children.
It would not be inappropriate to mention here a case that came under my notice
in the Azimgurh District, when small-pox was then prevalent. Two children on whom
the vaccinator had operated showed perfect Jennerian vesicles, and at the same time an
eruption of modified small-pox. I remarked that the villagers, instead of being alarmed
at the appearance of this eruption, seemed rather satisfied, as it reminded them of the
eruption that accompanies their favourite inoculation. I endeavoured to explain to
them that the small-pox eruption was due to the poison of that disease having been
imbibed previous to vaccination, and had no connection whatsoever with the operation
on the arm. The vaccinator, thinking that the lymph from these cases would be more
effectual than the ordinary virus, consulted me regarding the advisability of using it on
others, but I told him that there would probably be no difference in the result. It is
unusual to experiment from such cases, yet Mr. Simon, the Medical Officer of the Privy
Council, has shown in his latest report that lymph taken from cases similar to
those noted above does not communicate anything but the ordinary cow-pox; and
this he adduces as a proof that neither syphilis nor other constitutional disease can be
transmitted with the lymph taken from a pure Jennerian vesicle.
5. There can be no doubt but that the aversion of the Hindoos to vaccination,
and their prejudice against the removal of the lymph, are both slowly giving way.
Year by year I hear less of the absurd superstitious notions that vaccination, under the
pretence of being a preventive to small-pox, was a mysterious means employed by Go-
vernment to violate the religious feelings of the people. It was not to be wondered at,
then, that deaths caused by other diseases were naturally laid at the door of vacci-
nation. In some few unfortunate villages where this delusion still exists the vacci-
nator has feared to risk showing his face again after the death of a vaccinated child
from whatever cause. Happily, however, this state of ignorance cannot be lasting,
since the beneficial effects apparent from vaccination must eventually bring the people
from under it.
6. Following the plan I adopted last year for testing the accuracy of returns,
namely, that of inspecting, not only the recent cases, but also those of an earlier date,
and comparing these with the entry shown in the day-book, I found it necessary in
three instances to remove the vaccinator for falsification of numbers. These three cases
were too aggravated to be dealt with leniently. The first occurred at Nuggrah, in the
Azimgurh District, and the culprit was one of the old inoculating " Malis " whom I
had introduced into the department. The recent work he had ready for my inspec-
tion was creditable, and correctly entered in the books, but on my riding to a village
some six miles off, where the entry was seven successful cases, I found it totally false.
The man, it is true, had gone to the village about the time specified, but, failing to
persuade the people to allow him to operate on their children, he, rather than show
a blank day, gave a false return. The second case which I detected, near Benares,
was of a similar nature. The vaccinator had operated on several children in the
village I picked out, but these were only about a third of the number recorded, and
he could produce no village register of the cases entered in his day-book. The means