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nation, and, in case of such objection in any particular case, that
such examination shall not take place, and that the Local
Government Board and the Public Vaccination Officers be
informed accordingly."
Advantage was taken of this grudgingly granted permission, and the
seven Board schools in the City were visited by the Vaccination
Officers. Facilities were readily afforded by the Managers of most of
the Voluntary schools for like purpose, and the following represents the
condition of things they found:—
In St. Georgeper cent.s Union Mr. Elkerton discovered 780 unvaccinated
children in the schools, the percentage of unvaccinated to children
examined varying from 4 to 23 per cent.
Mr. Penfold, of the Westminster Union, found 738 unvaccinated
children among 2,994 inspected in six schools. The parents of 168
children in Board schools objected to have their childrenper cent.s arms
inspected, and presumably these were unvaccinated, as subsequently 76
of them were vaccinated.
Mr. Hickman had only 88 unvaccinated children in the schools of
the Strand Union, but the arms of 116 children were hot permitted to
be inspected.
From observations made at the various schools, the officers were
struck by the number of children stated to have been vaccinated in
infancy, yet showing no marks of vaccination. The correctness of their
statement has been verified in a number of instances by reference to
the Registers of Vaccination, where certificates of successful vaccination
had been sent in. Unfortunately, a record of the exact number of such
cases was not preserved, but I find in one school that 16 per cent. of the
vaccinated children were not well vaccinated. The importance of this
may be seen in the tables below, where it is shown that if the 76
persons who had only one or two marks had been properly vaccinated,
the lives of 10 out of the 15 who died would have been saved; and of
the 27 who stated that they had been vaccinated but had no marks, the
lives of 9 of the 11 who died would have been saved. The Public
Vaccinator is required to make a certain number of insertions, but the
same rule does not apply to the private practitioner, and he, to please
the mother, may vaccinate in one place only, or if he is careless may
certify to successful vaccination when such has not taken place, there
having been perhaps only some slight swelling produced. Such conduct
is highly culpable, and future legislation ought to require a certificate of
vaccination in which the actual result should be stated in detail.
Resolution as to Re-vaccination of Councilper cent.s Staff.—The City Council
required the Staff to be re-vaccinated, and adopted as a Standing Order
that " No pecuniary compensation of any kind shall be given to any