View report page

20
document. It would of course be necessary to give the Registrar power to require
the production of Certificate of Vaccination from all persons resident within his
district; the legal responsibility in regard to obtaining such certificate to be cast upon
every adult and the parent of every child.
The proposals thus shadowed forth are merely prospective. It remains to be
suggested, as of the utmost importance at the present time when small-pox prevails
to an alarming extent, that during periods of epidemic the Poor Law Medical Officers
of infected districts should be appointed supplementary Vaccinators and empowered
to make a house-to-house visitation for the purpose of then and there vaccinating all
unvaccinated children over three months old, or where this is considered undesirable
the public vaccinator should, at all events, be authorised to make such visitation as
far as practicable. This would be far more effective than a similar course of visitation
by a prosecuting officer now being carried out in many districts.
To briefly recapitulate the foregoing suggestions it is, in my opinion, essential
that there should be
1. Compulsory registration op birth;
2. Gratuitous issue of birth and vaccination certificate (see Form above);
3. Provision for replacing lost certificates ;
4. A legal responsibility cast upon every adult and the parents of every
child in regard to possession of certificate;
6. No valid answer to any information before justices but the production
oe certificate;
6. Means provided for inspection of every person duly vaccinated, but
holding no certificate, and for grant of certificate by public
vaccinator;
7. Compulsory requirement of production of certificate upon admission
of children into Schools under Elementary Education Act;
8. Authority to Registrars of Births to require production of Certificate;
9. But one Officer to enforce the provisions of the Vaccination Act in
a registration district and that the Registrar himself;
10. Remuneration of Registrar by fee upon registration of each case of
primary vaccination (whether birth registered by him or not); and
11. House-to-house medical visitation, for purposes of vaccination, in
infected localities during periods of epidemic.
I must apologise for the length to which this letter has extended, but the importance
which you have been pleased to attach to some of the foregoing suggestions
verbally made by me in the course of recent conferences upon the subject, must be
my justification.
I am, my dear Sir,
Yours very faithfully,
Whitechapel. W. VALLANCE.
Jan. 21,1871.
The suggestions contained in the above letter are of a very practical
character, and I hope that they will meet with the attention they deserve
from all persons who are interested in the promotion of the public health,
and especially from those who may have the framing of an amended Vaccination
Act. One of the most important of these suggestions is perhaps that
which relates to the providing for the freest communication between the