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a pleasing duty to recognise. The return shews a loss of six per
cent, in the cases, against 4.6, 5.4, and 5.9, respectively, in the
three preceding years, "from removal of children to places out of
Parish unknown, or which cannot be reached, and cases not
having been found." In the Metropolis, as a whole, the loss is
somewhat greater than in Kensington. In England and
Wales, as we learn on the authority of Dr. George Buchanan,
Medical Officer to the Local Government Board, "the returns
give evidence of about 95 per cent, of the infantile population
having received the benefits of vaccination within the first year"
after their birth: it follows that the infant population is made
up of " 19 vaccinated to each unvaccinated individual.''
With regard to the protection against small-pox afforded
by vaccination—differing in degree as this does according as the
vaccination is more or less "successful" —it should be unnecessary
to say anything; but the pertinacity with which some
misguided persons still decry the most beneficent of medical
discoveries, shews no sign of abatement, and as their teaching
is calculated to prejudice the general public against the wise
compulsion authorised by law, it is well that the Government
have appointed a Royal Commission to inquire and report on
the subject, the anti-vaccinationists being represented thereon
The final report of the Committee will be awaited with interest.
Animal Vaccination: Calf Lymph.— An objection to
"arm-to-arm" vaccination has been based on the fact that, as
the lymph is passed through the human system, it may become
the means of transmitting enthetic disease. This danger, however,
though by no means to be disregarded, appears to be slight,
and in practice almost inappreciable, seeing that Dr. Buchanan
states that he "cannot learn of communication of syphilis in
vaccination being actually effected once in a million of vaccinations."
Nevertheless, and it being desirable to remove every
impediment to the full acceptance of vaccination, it would be
satisfactory to know that the Local Government Board had