5

for the operation ; and in some instances a fear of offending the dreaded " Devi "*
when actually present, or the fear of having to undergo certain trivial expenses
which vanity usually prompts them to make,—nothing beyond these seriously
obstructs the working of the vaccine establishment in Bombay ; but, too often,
these are more than sufficient to allow small-pox to spread at the cost of valuable
lives ; and nothing short of legal compulsion can, in my opinion, alter this state of
things. An Act of the Legislature rendering vaccination compulsory is much re-
quired in this city, and can alone remove these obstructions.

Progress of the vaccinia.

No disease other than the
cow-pox observed.

9. No irregularity in the progress of the vaccine disease, nor any ill effects
beyond an ulcerative action now and then, set up at
the seat of the vesicles, in scrofulous and weakly
children, which heal tardily, have come under my observation. I have very strong
reasons to believe that this ulcerative action is often, if not always, the result of
the scratching or irritation of the vesicles. The introduction of any other disease
but cow-pox must be quite out of the question, at
least in those that are vaccinated with animal-lymph.
In those comparatively few that were vaccinated
with lymph from the human subject also nothing of the kind was observed.

Protective influence of vac-
cination.

10. Vaccination continues to keep up its character of a prophylactic against
small-pox, in Bombay. No deaths from small-pox
occurring in persons known to be protected by
vaccination has come under my observation; nor
have I heard of any except the two cases already mentioned.

* Goddess of small-pox.