London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Battersea 1899

Report upon the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Battersea during the year1899

This page requires JavaScript

98
or metropolitan police magistrate, in petty sessions, that he
conscientiously believes that vaccination would be prejudicial to
the health of the child, and within seven days thereafter delivers
to the Vaccination Officer for the district a certificate by such
justices or magistrate of such conscientious objection.
It is also provided that a second order shall not be made on
any person, directing that a child be vaccinated who has been
previously convicted of non-compliance with a similar order
relating to the same child, nor shall proceedings be taken against
any person who has already been convicted on account of the
same child until it has reached the age of four years, and further,
that persons committed to prison under the Act shall be treated
as first-class misdemeanants.
When there is risk of outbreak of smallpox or under other
ixceptional circumstances the Local Government Board may
require the Guardians of any Poor-law Union to provide
vaccination stations for the vaccination of children with
glycerinated calf-lymph or other lymph, and to modify the
provisions of this Act requiring the Public Vaccinator to visit
the home of the child otherwise than on request of the parent.
It is also made the duty of the clerk of any sanitary authority
maintaining a hospital for cases of small-pox, which in the case
of Battersea would be represented by the Clerk of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, to keep a list of the names, addresses, ages, and
conditions as to vaccination of all small-pox patients treated in
the hospital, such entries to be made on admission, and at all
reasonable times to allow searches to be made therein, and upon
demand to give a copy under his hand or under that of his deputy
of every entry in the same on payment of a fee of sixpence for
each search, and threepence for each copy.
The following table, obtained from the Vaccination Officer,
shews that of five thousand one hundred and seventy-six children
returned in the Birth List Sheets, two thousand five hundred