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to medical men, &c., to induce the public to bring up children for
vaccination, and to encourage the revaccination of persons over 12
years of age, who have not previously been revaccinated. Mr. Shattock,
in an interesting report, dated June 29th, 1881, has set out the results
of the house-to-house visitation. It appears that three hundred
and fifty-eight streets were canvassed, containing 8,500 inhabited
houses, and 28,939 children in 11,136 families. Of 573 unvaccinated
children discovered, 304 were found to have been born in
other parishes, but by migration had escaped the Vaccination
Officers of those parishes: of 269 cases of children born in Kensington
the majority would have been dealt with in the usual course;
in 27 cases, however, the births had not been registered, and in a
few instances births had been falsely registered. In every instance
discovered of a child between the ages of 14 years and three
months, unprotected by vaccination, notice was at once served upon
the parent or person having the custody of the child, requiring
compliance with the law within 14 days. In many instances
attempts were made to evade by removal, but on the case being
followed the law was complied with. The 573 unvaccinated cases
are thus accounted for—564 have been successfully vaccinated,
one was found "unfit;" four have been lost sight of, and four were
at the date of the report, under proceedings to secure compliance
with the Act.
"The law making no provision for house-to-house visitation,
parents' statements had to be accepted," and that these statements
were not always to be relied on is proved by the fact that "in
numerous instances after stating that all the children had been
vaccinated, the mother attended at the station to have one or two
children vaccinated, fearing the consequences of her untruthful
statements being found out." The good effects of the energetic
proceedings of the Guardians and their officer are seen in the
fact that in 18 weeks 3,283 vaccinations and re-vaccinations were
done, as against an average of 720 during a similar period. Very
many thousand circulars addressed to "heads of families" in the
richer parts of the parish, led to the re-vaccination of large numbers
of domestic servants. It is said, however, that "mechanics and
the labouring classes are apparently careless "about re-vaccination,
• even when small-pox has broken out in the house." To facilitate