View report page

23
The avoidance of vaccination by the removal of a child
from one district into another is openly recommended with
this object by those who are endeavouring to prejudice
persons against vaccination, and it becomes therefore necessary
to guard against this dangsr.
Beyond these efforts which may be made for overcoming
prejudice, the chief measure which has to be relied upon
is a house to house visitation and inquiry for unvaccinated
persons. This has been done very unequally in the Metropolis,
and there is no doubt but that in which ever district the
Guardians are most slow to adopt this method of procuring
vaccination, in that district will the largest number of unvaccinated
persons congregate and eventually the largest mortality
from small pox take place. A house to house inquiry by the
Vestry's officers during a local outbreak of small pox in 1880
showed the value of such a course and the amount of good
which results from a direct personal appeal to individuals to
protect themselves against small pox.
It is then very desirable that when small pox is absent
from our district, that unceasing efforts should be made to
prevent an increase of the unvaccinated population. Those
whose interest it is to save life as well as to prevent the
needless expenditure of public money, will see the need for
such action.
REPORT OF THE HOSPITAL COMMISSION.
As part of the consideration of the subject of diseases of
the Zymotic class it will be fitting to make some reference to
the Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire
respecting Small Pox and Fever Hospitals, before whom your
Vestry Clerk and Medical Officer gave evidence.
It will be unnecessary to recapitulate the opinions the
Vestry have from time to time expressed upon this subject,
but it is gratifying to find that they, as well as those of most
of the Sanitary Authorities, are on the whole in accordance
with the views of the Commissioners.
The Commission, after accepting as conclusively proved
that the aggregation of a large number of cases of small pox
in the acute stage of the disease gives rise to the occurrence
of small pox in the neighbourhood, state that "all evidence
goes to show that well-conducted fever hospitals involve no
appreciable risk to the neighbourhood."