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A bad look out truly; for it would appear that in 1894
one-fifth of the children born (and the proportion now is
probably as high as one-fourth) are without the protection
against small-pox afforded by vaccination.* Meanwhile the
report of the Royal Commission has been published, and those
interested in public health questions anxiously await the
revelation by the President of the Local Government Board
of his proposals in regard to amendment of the law relating
to vaccination.
[The Vaccination Bill.—After the report was in type,
the President of the Local Government Board brought in a
Bill to "amend the Law with respect to vaccination." It comprises
five clauses only. The first section (sub-section 1)
enables the parent of a child to delay vaccination until
" twelve months from the birth of the child, instead of the
period of three months," as at present. The parent may
require the public vaccinator "to visit the home of the child
for the purpose of vaccinating the child," (sub-section (2));
but " if a child is not vaccinated within nine months after its
birth, the public vaccinator of the district will be required to
visit the home of the child, and to offer to vaccinate the child
#Mr. Shattock informs me that false registration, i.e., wrong addresses
entered on the birth list sheets is his greatest difficulty: the children cannot be
traced,