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56
The obvious duty for the Government at this time is to reconsider
this question of vaccination and re-vaccination, not by any more
Royal Commissions, but by the introduction of a compulsory law
both for vaccination and re-vaccination.
In addition to this, certain other changes must be made. In the
first place, the Vaccination Authority must be changed. Apart
from the fact that a large number of Boards of Guardians have
neglected their duty in this respect, it is an anomaly, that while the
duty of taking measures for controlling the spread of every other
infectious disease is under the control of the Sanitary Authority,
the chief measure for preventing the spread of small-pox, i.e.,
efficient vaccination and re-vaccination, is left to the Guardians.
The Borough Councils in London are the authorities, to whom
should be entrusted the duty of executing the vaccination laws,
because they are already entrusted with the execution of all other
preventive measures relating to small-pox; and both economy and
efficiency would be attained by uniting all preventive measures
against the spread of infectious diseases under one authority. In
addition to the above, I am of opinion, that it would be of great
advantage in making vaccination more popular and more thorough,
if the following alterations were made in the vaccination laws:—
(a) In the first place, I think that private practitioners should
be placed on the same footing with respect to the vaccination:
of their private patients as the Public Vaccinator. That
is to say, that every vaccination or re-vaccination done by
a private practitioner should be done at the public expense,
the lymph being also supplied from the Government
laboratories. Of course the private practitioner should be
paid for this service at the same rate as the Public
Vaccinators; but on the other hand the private practitioner
should be controlled by the Local Government Board's
Orders respecting vaccination, especially those referring
to the number, size, and total area of the vaccination
marks. If this change were made, I feel certain we should
soon have a well vaccinated public. To a large number