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176
1899
Personally I am not much in favour of compulsion, but in the
case of such a disease as small pox, against which science has
provided an efficient as well as a long and well-tried palliative if
not preventive, something should be done to enforce the law of the
land, and that quickly, and to reduce the numbers of unvaccinated
persons who inhabit this district.
I have had bitter experience in other places of the dire results
that have fallen on unvaccinated persons, and I would, indeed, be
sorry to see it repeated here. But that it will be so repeated, whenever
small pox overtakes this district, if it should remain in its
present partially vaccinated state, I have no doubt. I, therefore,
feel that I would not be doing my duty as the person primarily
entrusted with the health concerns of this enormous district, if I
did not most earnestly urge on the responsible authorities the
absolute need that exists for increased activity in the vaccination of
the children that are annually born here.
It has been a great misfortune for this country that the duty of
putting the Vaccination Acts into force has not fallen on the Public
Health Authorities instead of on the Poor Law Guardians. If
matters had been different, then, indeed, the present scandal with
respect to vaccination would, in all probability, not have arisen.
The Local Government Board, by not having made the necessary
change in the Act of 1898, suppose mean to take on themselves the
responsibility of enforcing these Acts; and indeed this was
particularly shown by their circular of 21st October 1898, when
they informed Boards of Guardians that the power and the duty
of taking proceedings are vested in Vaccination Officers. But
circulars are of little use unless the Board insist that these officers
shall do their duty, and unless it uphold them when they have
done it. Vaccination is not a local question, it is a national
one, for small pox is essentially the one infectious disease which
in this country has been conveyed to distant places and there caused
serious epidemics. Consequently it behoves the Government
acting as the central Health Authority (although, strange to say,
there is no Board of Health) to see that the law is everywhere
ally obeyed.