NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCES.

                              RETURNS OF VACCINATION

                                    For the Season of 1869-70.

                                            No. 13 of 1870.

FROM

                        W. WATSON, ESQUIRE, M.B.,

                                        Offg. Supdt.-General of Vaccination,

                                                                    Worth- Western Provinces,
To

                        R. SIMSON, ESQUIRE,

                                        Secretary to the Government,

                                                            North-Western Provinces.

                                                DATED ALMORAH, THE 1ST MAY, 1870.

SIR,

I have the honour to submit, for the information of His Honor the
Lieutenant-Governor, the returns of Vaccination for the North-Western Provinces
for the season of 1869-70, shewing a total of 237.298 successful cases, being a
decrease of 29.289 on the work of the preceding year. This very great decrease has
principally occurred in the Circles of Allahabad and Jhansie, and of Agra and Meerut,
and the Superintendents of these Circles agree in the explanation they give to account
for the decrease. They state that it is owing to the fact that this year there has been
no epidemic of small-pox in the plains, and I see no reason to doubt the correctness
of this opinion. When small-pox is epidemic in a district, the people naturally apply
to the Vaccinators, and bring their children to them in crowds. In a non-epidemic
season, the reverse is the case. There is apparently no immediate necessity for the
operation being performed, and the parents of the children either object altogether
to having it done, or allege some excuse for delay.

2.    During the earlier part of the period embraced in this Report I held the
appointment of Superintendent of the 4th or Allahabad and Jhansie Circle ; but on
the 1st of January, 1870, I was appointed to officiate as Superintendent-General,
North-Western Provinces, and as Superintendent of Kumaon and Rohilkhund during
the absence of Dr. Pearson, who was obliged to leave India on account of bad health.

3.    When he quitted India, Dr. Pearson had served in the Vaccine Depart-
ment for nearly sixteen years, and the value of his services can be appreciated only by
those who have had the privilege of serving under him. In the year 1853, when
employed by Government to report on Mahamurree, a disease then raging in the hills,
he commenced vaccinating in Gurhwal, and his success was so great that in his Sanitary
Report for 1853-54 he stated that he had vaccinated no less than 7,000 persons. Long
before this, vaccination had been attempted in the plains of India, but the difficulties
were very great. It was found that successful vaccination was impossible in the hot
weather and rains, and that even in the cold weather it was necessary to vaccinate
with perfectly fresh lymph, or to employ the crusts imported from England, as vaccine
crusts collected in the plains were practically useless. This state of things was
in great measure changed by Dr. Pearson's success in the hills. It was soon generally
admitted that the vaccine crusts collected by him in the higher parts of Gurhwal
were not only equal, but were actually superior to those imported from England.

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