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pain and sickness, may save a disfigured face, may save what is even
more important—life itself. These statements are no mere sensational
stories. Statistics indisputably prove that they are facts. Of course
we cannot convince those who absolutely refuse to be convinced,
nor indeed is it worth trying to do so. Fortunately, the law is
clear, and the legislature have been convinced of the necessity of
vaccination; all that we can do therefore in the case of the obstinate
is to put the law in operation. This is to be done, however, by no
means as a punishment on the parents, but as a duty to the infant,
remembering that every child that is born is under the protection
of the Government, the infant being, as it were, a child of the
State, the success of which depends in no slight degree on the
health of the community. To use the words of a well-known
writer, "A Nation's Health is a Nation's Wealth."
In 1876, 1,034 of the total deaths were due to the diseases
classified by the Registrar-General under the head of zymotic. Of
these 1,034, 46 were due to small-pox against 3 of the year before,
97 to measles against 78 the year before, and 34 to diphtheria
against 26 the year before; whilst on the other hand 125 deaths only
are recorded from scarlet fever in 1876, against 222 in 1875.
Sixty-four deaths are recorded as having occurred from typhoid.
During the year 1877 we have had recorded 157 deaths from
measles, 74 from small-pox, 67 from typhoid, and 200 from scarlet
fever. I should wish especially to refer to one point, to which I
drew your attention in my report of 1874, viz.: the deaths from
puerperal fever. I did so from a sense of duty, and very much
against my own inclination, lest I should be regarded (as afterwards,
I regret to say, proved to be the case), as the accuser of my brethren.
In 1874, 26 deaths were recorded from puerperal fever; in 1875, ig
deaths; in 1876, 16 deaths, whilst I am happy to state that during
1877 only 8 deaths have been recorded as occurring from this
cause. I most certainly did feel the need in 1874 of a word of
caution. I gladly take this opportunity (whilst expressing my belief
that none are more alive than medical men to the necessity of care),
of adding a word of congratulation that the number of recorded
deaths from puerperal fever in 1877 are less than one-third what
they were in 1874.
The following table gives some interesting details of mortality
in the parish of Islington for the past ten years : —