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The law for enforcing vaccination is very difficult to enforce,
because we cannot proceed against a parent for neglecting to have
a child vaccinated, simply but only against such parents, &c.,
as neglect to have a child vaccinated after receipt of a notice, which
the Registrar is bound to give within seven days after registration
of the birth. Consequently, we cannot inflict a penalty on the
parent, unless we can first prove that he has had the above notice.
The Vaccination Act is a dead letter, so far as regards the
registry of certificates of vaccination. Mr. Jay only received five
certificates last year. We are thus deprived of a very important
means of knowing how far the vaccination of infants is kept up.
In order to ascertain the existence of unvaccinated children,
we procure from the Registrars lists of births, in the poorer Districts,
and send round a messenger to inquire into the vaccination.
It is a singular fact, that, within six months, at least a fourth of
the people will be found to have removed after the birth of a
child. Another evidence of the fluctuation of a portion of the
poorer population is the fact, that 75 at least per cent of the
infants in the various schools, are shifted during the year. For
example, in the St. Mark's School, out of 164 infants, 162 had been
admitted within the year ; in the Curzon School, 70 out of 120.
The examination of the children in the various schools, is one
of the most effective means of insuring general vaccination It
is of no use to take the word of parents, for they may deceive;
certificates are never forthcoming; the only proceeding necessary,
is that the candidate for admission should show the vaccination
marks on his arm, to the schoolmaster or mistress, and
that a little note should be made of the fact in the School
Register. As it is, we are sure to find 2 or 3 per cent, of unvaccinated
children in any school where this is not enforced. We
have before given utterance to our sentiments, as to the dirty and
diseased state of some children's skins; but we believe that the
masters and mistresses do all they can to enforce cleanliness,
short of expelling the children, which would be punishing them
for the neglect of their parents.
Last year, 48 unvaccinated (including some doubtful cases,
failures, &c.) were found amongst 1,748 school-children in the
Hanover and Mayfair Sub-Districts.
*New Schools—no information as to numbers.