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35
These figures show that over 50 per cent. of the vaccinated
children examined are inefficiently done according to the standard of
the Local Government Board, Those with only three marks and
under cannot be regarded as fully protected from small-pox, It is
evident from this table that a very large amount of inefficient vaccination
has been done in the past. This is due largely to the fact,
that each private practitioner has an opinion of his own as to what
constitutes efficient vaccination. In a great many cases the opinion
of the child's parent determines the amount and character of the
vaccinated area. This is much to be regretted; and some portion of
responsibility for the present outbreak in London, rests upon those
practitioners who to please patients or their parents vaccinated in
only one or two places. I repeat here, as stated in the report
referred, that vaccination being of national concern, should be subject
to such regulations that one standard of efficient vaccination should
be universal.
Every practitioner should be a public vaccinator in the sense that
he should be paid for his vaccinations as the present public vaccinators,
and should be under the same control as to efficiency, etc.;
vaccination and re-vaccination should also be compulsory. Until
these alterations are made in the law of vaccination, we shall still, in
my opinion, have recurring outbreaks of small-pox.
THE RIVER LEA.
The following analysis of samples of Lea water made during the
summer of last year show the continued and increasing pollution the
water is receiving, The constitution of a new Lea Conservancy
Board appeared to hold out prospects of some attempt to alter the
condition of the river Lea as it passes through Hackney, but up to
the present no improvement has taken place.