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stituting every medical practitioner, de facto, a public
vaccinator, whose fee would be paid by the vaccination
authority. This plan, if carried out, would practically tend to
the abolition of the office of the public vaccinator as it now
exists. The foregoing observations constitute but the barest
outline of some of the principal recommendations of the
Commission. It now remains to be seen what course the
Government will adopt with a view to giving effect to them.
In June, a Conference of Vestries and District Boards,
convened by the Vestry of St. Pancras, and at which your
Vestry were represented, was held" to consider the question
of the administration of the Vaccination Acts." The resolution
passed thereat was as follows:—
"That in the opinion of this Conference the Vaccination Acts
should be administered by the Authorities that administer the
Acts and provisions for the prevention of the spread of
infectious diseases, by notification, isolation, and disinfection."
It was further resolved—
"That a deputation be appointed to wait upon the President of the
Local Government Board, to urge —
'The desirableness of the administration of the Vaccination
Acts being placed in the hands of the Sanitary
Authorities.' "
I was unable to be present at the Conference; but I had dealt
with the subject of it many years ago, and recommended
transference of the powers now exercised by the Guardians to
a Central Authority, either the Asylums Board or any other
body that might be authorised to provide hospital accommodation
for the infectious sick. I do not favour the plan of
transferring the powers of the Guardians to the local Sanitary
Authorities, for reasons into which I need not now enter. It
only remains to be added that the Local Government Board
did not deem it expedient to receive the proposed deputation,
the report of the Royal Commission not having, at the
time, been published.