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some cause or other escaped re-vaccination before entering the
wards." The conclusion is, that if vaccination and re-vaccination
were successfully accomplished at the proper times, small-pox
"instead of being, as it is at present, a common and extremely
fatal disease, would be a comparatively rare one, and so little fatal
that few if any deaths would result from it."
An interesting and valuable memorandum by Dr. Buchanan,
Medical Officer of the Local Government Board, on the present
prevalence of small-pox in London among vaccinated and un-vaccinated
persons respectively, published as a Parliamentary paper,
has been extensively re-produced and commented on in the public
press. It tells the same story of the protective power of vaccination
and re-vaccination, in another way, and may be read with advantage
by all who are sceptical on the subject.
The Alleged Dangers of Vaccination.—The question whether
vaccination—I will not say carefully performed, but performed
as it is without selection of cases—is attended with any, and if so
what dangers ? is an interesting one, which can be solved in part
only, by reference to the death registers. I have heard of only one
somewhat severe case of erysipelas in connexion with the public
vaccination in this parish in 1880—although many children were
vaccinated at the same time with the child in question. Two deaths
were recorded during the year, in the medical certificates concerning
which reference was made to vaccination as a cause of death.
In the one case the certificate was as follows:—"Vaccination, two
years: Erysipelas, blood poisoning, and gangrene;" the certifying
Surgeon being the same gentleman on whose certificates in
respect of cases of scarlet fever I had to animadvert at page 19.
Not much importance probably will be attached to this case.
The other death was that of an infant fourteen weeks old,
which was certified as being due to "erysipelas from vaccination,
twelve days." The facts of this case appear to be as
follow:—The child when eight weeks old was vaccinated on
July 6th, being in a good state of health, and the vaccination