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8
Table IV. is a return prepared by Mr. Neighbour, the
Vaccination Officer, setting forth the number of cases of
successful vaccination, so far as relates to children whose births
were registered during the year ending June 30th, 1894. The
figures show that those not yet found in consequence of removals,
etc., number 180 out of a total of 1857, being 9.6 per cent., a
deficiency greater than in former years, and may fairly be
ascribed to the following reasons—First, a growing opposition to
the operation of vaccination, encouraged by the delay in the
Report of the Royal Commission, and a vague belief that the
said Report will be condemnatory of the practice.
Sickness and Deaths due to the principal Zymotic or
Communicable Diseases.
Small-pox.—Only one death was certified as due to this
cause during the year. The patient in question was a girl six
years old. At the time of attack she was attending a Board
School. She was removed to the hospital ship Atlas, and died
after 9 days' illness. She was unprotected by vaccination.
The deaths registered in London from small-pox numbered 93,
against 206 for the previous year.
The total number of cases of sickness notified as Small-pox,
belonging to the Parish, during the year was 16, and the result of
enquiries into the particulars of each case was as follows :—Three
cases were ascertained not to be Small-pox. The source of
infection in three instances was a child who was suffering fron a
rash which at the time was erroneously thought to be chicken pox,
and no precautions were therefore taken to prevent the spread of
the disease. One case was that of a casual visitor to a house where
a servant was ill with what ultimately turned out to be Small-pox.
The servant in question returned to her parents home in in
adjoining parish and the nature of her illness was not discovered
until several other persons had become infected.
The ages of the 16 cases notified varied from 13 to 40 years,
and with the exception of the one fatal case above-mentioned,
all had been vaccinated in infancy, thus furnishing another
proof, if such were needed, of the protection to life which is
afforded by vaccination, and while dealing with this subject, 1
should like to refer to a statement frequently used by the antivaccinators,
that the decrease in small pox is due not to vaccination
but to the better sanitary arrangements which now exist than
was formerly the case. Now if this view were correct, why, it
may be asked, has Small-pox yielded so marvellously to Hygiene,
while it still allows Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria and Measles to
continue their periodical ravages.