View report page

7
It is not an unknown charge against vaccination, that deaths often
result from its practice; in the Appendix to this Report, 1 have given
the average number of deaths for each disease during the last ten years.
Not a single death has been attributed to "Cow-pox and the effects of
vaccination"within the Whitechapel District during the whole of that
period.
In the entire Metropolis, among a population of four and a half millions,
with a total of 81,744 deaths from all causes, seven are certified as due to
"Cow-pox and the effects of vaccination."Probably over 100,000 primary
vaccinations were performed among the 132,750 infants born during the
twelve months, with the result that seven lives were lost from accidents
connected with the operation. Much as this is to be regretted, the
enormous balance which remains to the credit of vaccination appears from
the fact that this splendid discovery which Dr. Jenner made known to the
world 100 years ago, has been the means, wherever it is practised, of
practically abolishing perhaps the most horrible and loathsome disease
which ever afllicted mankind. Last year I had to report that a number of
cases of Small-pox had appeared in the District as a result of the influence
of certain philanthropic shelters, and that active measures were used to
stop the spread of the disease. The year 1896 has produced only two
cases of Small-pox, one of which came to us from Gloucester. It appears
as though no lesson is sharp enough to teach the value of the operation
to those persons who oppose the practice of vaccination. At a meeting of
the Whitechapel Board of Guardians, and again in a recent copy of a
local newspaper, one of the most active of these gentlemen called
attention to some statements which appeared in my last Annual Report
upon this subject. This gentleman, in his profuse verbiage, loses sight of
one of the main points in my report, which is, that vaccination requires
renewal, because although a primary vaccination in infancy does protect
for many years against an attack of Small-pox, yet in the course of time
its power to protect becomes gradually less. Let me take up the challenge
of Mr. Haines, and inform him that the late Sir George Buchanan culled
the following statistics from Dr. Barry's Report of the Sheffield epidemic
of Small-pox in 1887-8.
"In children under 10 years of age, the attack-rate and death -rate per
"1,000 were as follows:—
"The attack-rate of the vaccinated equalled 5 per 1,000
„ „ un-vaccinated „ 101 „
"The death-rate of the vaccinated „ .09 „
„ „ un-vaccinated „ 44 „
"Under the general circumstances, therefore, of the Sheffield epidemic,
"the vaccinated children had, as compared with the un-vaccinated children,
"living in the Town, a 20 fold immunity from attack by Small-pox, and
"a 480 fold security against death by Small-pox. A consideration of the
"attack-rate and death-rate amongst children in invaded households give
"substantially the same results. Concerning persons over 10 years of
"age, Dr. Barry shows the attack-rates and death-rates to be as
"follows:—
"The attaek-rate in persons twice vaccinated equalled 3 per 1,000
,, ,, once „ ,, 19 ,,
,, „ not ,, ,, 94 n
"The death-rate in persons twice vaccinated equalled .08 „
,, ,, once ,, „ 1 ,,
,, ,, not ,, ,, 51 ii
"So that the twice vaccinated persons over 10 years of age, as compared
"with the un-vaccinated persons of the same age, had a 31-fold immunity
"against attack by Small-pox, and a 640-fold security against death by