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71
" We therefore hope that in the future there will be established, by giving effect to the foregoing suggestions,
a satisfactory co-operation between the Health Society and the Public Health Department which will
astist in reducing infantile mortality.
" We recommend—
That a letter based on the lines of this report be addressed to the Hon. Secretary of the Kensington
Health Society as an answer to the representations received from them on the subject."
The scheme took effect on the first day of July, between which date and 28th December 57
" case-papers" (specially prepared for the purpose) were forwarded to the Hon. Secretary of the
Society on request. Of the said papers, 18 had been returned, with the voluntary health workers'
reports thereon, and 39 were outstanding at the close of the year.
I gladly bear testimony to the zeal and interest taken in their duties by the Voluntary Health
Workers.
VACCINATION.
The table at page 72 is a return respecting vaccination in Kensington in 1906, for which
I am indebted to Mr. King, the vaccination officer. It shows that out of 3,330 infants, whose
births were returned in the " Birth List Sheets" (col. 2), during the year, 2,832 were successfully
vaccinated, and that 14 were returned as " insusceptible of vaccination." In 6 cases vaccination
was postponed by medical certificate; 243 infants died unvaccinated ; in 20 instances infants were
removed to other districts, the vaccination officers of which were duly notified of the fact; whilst
163 cases, from "removal to places out of the parish, unknown, or which cannot be reached,
and cases not having been found," were unaccounted for. These cases are, with those of
" conscientious objectors " (47, against 25, 37, and 32, in the preceding three years respectively),
equivalent to a "loss" (i.e. cases not finally accounted for) of 6*3 per cent., as compared with the
number of births returned in the Birth List Sheets ; the loss in the preceding ten years having been
10*7, 10T, 12*7 (1898), 8*1, 6'8, 7'6, 6*1, 5"8, 5*8 and 5'4 per cent. The Vaccination officer attributes
" many of the lost cases to false registration and non-registration of births." Be this as it may, the
Kensington returns compare favourably with those for the Metropolis as a whole.
The Vaccination Act, 1907.—This measure, as explained in a circular letter issued by the
Local Government Board (25th September), provides, as a means of obtaining exemption from
penalties for the non-vaccination of a child (where the parent or other person having the custody
of the child conscientiously believes that vaccination would be prejudicial to the health of the
child) for procedure by statutory declaration in substitution for that prescribed by the vaccination
Act, 1898, under which it was necessary to obtain a certificate of conscientious objection from
justices or a magistrate. On 23rd December the Board issued a new Vaccination Order to the
Boards of Guardians throughout England and Wales, prescribing a fresh form of notice of the
requirements of vaccination, containing the necessary references to the new method of obtaining
exemptions. The Order came into force on 1st January, 1908. The Act of 1898 led to a large
increase in the number of vaccinations in proportion to births registered, due, as the Board
observed in their report for 1901-2, to the altered conditions under which, consequent to the Act
and their regulations made thereunder, vaccination is now performed, and the increased facilities
which now exist for its performance." It remains to be seen whether the additional facilities for
obtaining exemption provided by the Act of 1907 will lead to any material increase in the number
of exemptions.
Vaccination Officer's Return.