View report page

90
Such are the provisions of the Acts which have from time
to time been passed with direct reference to the subject of vaccination.
The legislation is founded on the assumption of its
efficacy, and that its advantages are so manifest that it is the duty
of the State to enforce it even by the imposition of penalties for
its neglect.
It is obvious that the most important part of the work
rests with the public authorities, to whom the vaccination of the
population has been entrusted, subject to the general control of
the central authority.
Details of the mode in which the vaccination law of Scotland
is administered will be found in the evidence of Mr. John
Skelton, then Chairman of the Board of Supervision. Both the
statute law and the method of administration differ very
materially from those which prevail in this country. Some of the
points of difference in the two systems have so material a bearing
upon questions submitted to us for report that it will be well here
to call attention to them. An official vaccinator is appointed by
each Parochial Board. Beyond the vaccination of paupers and
the children of paupers, however, his duty is confined to vaccinating
defaulters. The great majority of vaccinations in Scotland
are performed by private medical practitioners at the expense of
the parent or guardian. In all cases in which certificates are not
received by the Registrar of compliance with the requirements
of the Act, the names are inserted in a list of defaulters sent
every six months to the Parochial Board. It then becomes the
duty of that Board to see that these defaulters are vaccinated.
They go through the list transmitted to them, and notify to the
parent or guardian of each child that its name is contained in the
list, and that if not privately vaccinated it will be vaccinated by
the official vaccinator. The Parochial Board issue an order to
the vaccinator to vaccinate the persons named in the list not less
than 10 days nor more than 20 after the date of the notice to the
parent or guardian. A large number of the defaulters are