10 - Passage through India

Summary

Chapter 10 discusses the beginnings of vaccination in India. From Bombay in June 1802, the practice was extended to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Madras and Calcutta by the end of the year. Medical men in the service of the East India Company made the running, but civil and military governors provided strong support for the establishment of the practice. Children under vaccination were often used to deliver the vaccine, Indians were trained and paid for their work in vaccinating and systems were devised to maintain the supply of vaccine. The new prophylaxis was taken up in the European enclaves, but won some acceptance, too, among the Indian and Sinhalese, especially in Madras. Intrusive measures caused resentment and arm-to-arm transmission raised concerns about pollution. Still, the tally of vaccinations probably reached one million in the first five years of the practice. By this stage, too, India was serving as a hub for the spread of the practice in all directions.