Statistics of inoculations with Haffkine's anti-plague vaccine, 1897-1900 : compiled from records in the Plague Department of the Secretariat and the Plague Research Laboratory, Bombay / by W. B. Bannerman.

Bannerman, W. B. (William Burney), 1858-

Date:: 1900

Credit: Statistics of inoculations with Haffkine's anti-plague vaccine, 1897-1900 : compiled from records in the Plague Department of the Secretariat and the Plague Research Laboratory, Bombay / by W. B. Bannerman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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$w 0 If the 250 inoculated had suffered to the. same extent as the 124 uninoculat- ed, they should have had 75 deaths instead of 20—a difference of 73'3 per cent. Prom the above it would appear that uninoculated individuals living in the same houses as those inoculated are a source of danger to them, and therefore inoculated people are advised to see that those in immediate contact with them, {i.e., family and servants) are likewise operated on. It is just as much a duty to the public to be inoculated during plague prevalence, as to be vaccinated when small-pox appears in the neighbourhood. A striking illustration of the effect produced by the inoculation of an entire community is afforded by the history of this epidemic among the Parsi inha- bitants of Daman. The Parsi community of Lower Daman numbered 306. Of these, 277 were inoculated and 29 were not. The following shows the attacks and deaths in the two groups. No death from any other cause than plague occurred in this community during the epidemic :— Numbers. Cases. Deaths. Percentage o£ Mortality. Inoculated ... ... ... 277 8 1 0-36 Not Inoculated 29 4 4 13-8 If the inoculated, who were living in 'precisely the same social conditions as the uninoculated had been affected in the same proportion, they should have had 38 deaths instead of only one, a difference of 97'4 per cent. It should be noted that the solitary case of death among the inoculated P^rsis, had pain in the groin and fever at the time of inoculation—in fact, was suffering from plague already manifest,—and therefore could not be expected to derive benefit from the prophylactic. 3. Lanowli.—A small hill-station and railway depot at the top of the Bhor Ghat was the scene of the next demonstration. During the season, i.e., April and May 1897, plague first appeared here, and about 20 cases occurred; then the disease subsided, but only to re-appear in epidemic form after the onset of the monsoon, at a time when, owing to the departure of summer visitors, the popu- lation numbered only about 2,000. Operations were begun towards the end of July, in C and D Wards of the town, these having been chosen by the local Plague Committee for trial. A census having been made, inoculations were begun on 24th July 1897, and continued daily, as opportunity arose, among the friends and neighbours of those attacked. A daily house-to-house inspection was kept up in these wards for weeks after this, and the figures given below show the result obtained. Table showing the incidence of Plague in C and D wards of Lanowli in. 1897. Days showing no occurrences are omitted :— Date. Uninooulated. Inoculated. Population. Cases. Deaths. Population. Cases. Deaths. 24th July 1897 711 4 4 45 25th do. 636 5 5 116 ... 26 th do. 621 4 3 ' 126 • • • 27th do. 568 2 2 175 ... 28th do. 544 3 3 197 • • • • • * 29 th do. 472 2 1 266 • • • 30th do. 460 6 4 276 • • • 31st do. 430 3 2 300 1 I 1st August 1897 398 8 6 328 3 2 2nd do. 373 8 6 342 3 1 3rd do. 341 1 1 363 1 • M 4th do. 336 3 2 366 1 • •• 5 th do. 331 1 • • # 368 1 • •• 6th do. • • • 329 3 1 367 ... • • • 8th do. 323 1 ... 370 ... ... b 42-2$