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that the mortality from small pox in the unvaccinatcd, of cases taken generally,
is 35 per cent., but of children under 5 years of age, it is 50 per cent. The
natural small pox may be said to destroy one-third of all whom it attacks.
On the contrary, the mortality among the vaccinated attacked with small
pox, is only 7 per cent., taken generally; but among what may be characterised
as the badly vaccinated, it is 15 per cent. The danger, therefore,
arising from an attack of small pox, may be said to be chiefly determined by
the badness or insufficiency of vaccination. Such being the case, it is impossible
to estimate too highly the importance of properly performing vaccination
in infancy. A careless vaccination cannot be too strongly deprecated,
for, 'by such a proceeding, the vaccination takes effect badly, and will never
afterwards take effect properly, and yet the individual may take small pox
severely.' The minutest particulars in the performance of the operation
should bo regarded; for not only is the credit of the vaccinator concerned,
but the lives of the people, and the pecuniary interests of the ratepayers are
involved in the success of the operation.
It further appears, from the elaborate Tables of Mr. Maeson, that the
mortality in those who are attacked with small pox, after vaccination, but
having only one good cicatrix, is 4¼ per ccnt.; in those having an indifferent
cicatrix, it is 12 per cent.; in those with two good cicatrices, is 2¼ per cent.;
with indifferent cicatrices, 7¼ per cent.; in those with three good cicatrices,
it is 1½ per cent.; with indifferent cicatrices, 2¼ per cent.; and in those
patients who have four good cicatrices, the mortality is under 1 per cent.;
and from more recent returns, out of 353 patients admitted into the Small
Pox Hospital, having four or more vaccine cicatrices, one only has died of
Small Pox."
In Dr. Bkidges's Report, dated 17th January, 1871, the mortality from
small pox among the patients who had been vaccinated, without specifying
the number of cicatrices in each case, was 4 per cent., and among the unvaccinated,
the mortality was 32 per cent. With regard to the value of vaccination,
as a protection to the fatal results of small pox, these statistics, the
Doctor says, need no comment.
It is satisfactory for me to be able to state, from my own experience,
and upon the authority of Dr. Dyte, the Medical Officer to the Board of
Guardians to the Jewish poor, that vaccination is almost universally practised
among the Jews, and, at the present time, the practice has been attended
with the most happy results, for, out of 56 cases of small pox occurring to
the Jewish poor, which have been attended by Dr. Dyte, only one ended
fatally.
The present epidemic of small pox commenced in this District about the
latter end of August, when three cases were returned in the Spitalfields
Medical District. For the fortnight ending October 1st, the cases returned in
the entire District were 8, and the deaths from small pox in the Metropolis