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11
The casuals were induced to remain at Gainsborough Road by various privileges being granted
them by the Metropolitan Asylums Board authorities, and by a small payment. The total number
of contacts in the Borough, including staff at Gainsborough Road, was 92.
On the 21st June, 1927, 49 casuals who had been successfully vaccinated, were discharged after a
bath and the disinfection of their clothing. Four others, two unvaccinated and two vaccinated,
possibly too late for protection, were removed to South Wharf on the same day, and at the expiration
of the incubation period were discharged and the usual cleansing and disinfection was carried out at
Gainsborough Road, thus permitting the casual ward to be opened for the usual purposes from
June 21st, 1927.
During the year 143 contacts to Hackney cases and cases occurring elsewhere were kept under
observation for the full period of 16 days.
Whatever the precautions taken against Small-pox, in the absence
of vaccination Small-pox will reach epidemic proportions and attack
all susceptible persons; the disease is infinitely more infectious than our
other infectious diseases and without vaccination the best endeavours
of the Metropolitan Medical Officers, aided by the Experts of the
Ministry of Health, the London County Council and the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, cannot prevent the spread of the disease in London.
The protection given by vaccination against Small-pox is absolute,
when the vaccination is properly done. Dr. Wanklyn states in his
pamphlet on vaccination: "The writer, with an experience of 15,000
cases of small-pox to draw on, has never known one of many hundreds
of Hospital Attendants to contract the disease, though they have been
breathing, eating and living in an atmosphere reeking with infection.
This immunity is solely due to vaccination "; and this is a fact that
the Medical Superintendents of all Small-pox hospitals endorse. It
cannot be said about any other infectious disease that the attendants
can be rendered immune without exception or fear of failure from any
cause.
Yet there is a prejudice against vaccination which is apparently increasing
and which makes it difficult to check the disease when it is
introduced into the Borough. This arises in two ways: firstly from the
efforts of persons opposed to vaccination on grounds of prejudice, very
often the result of misinformation supplied by anti-vaccination
societies, and secondly from the transient ill-effects sometimes experienced
during the process. Possibly the production of four scars in the
present method of vaccination is not helping matters. The reason
for vaccinating in four places so that the areas of inoculation amount
to a total of half a square inch, the areas being separated fairly widely
to avoid a "bad arm,'' is to ensure that sufficient of the calf lymph is
taken into the system to produce lasting immunity, and the vaccination
regulations are drafted with the view of ensuring this result, as it is
obvious, in view of the continual attacks made on vaccination, that any
failure to protect by vaccination would be used as a weapon against
the process. But the present process of vaccinating in four spots is
occasionally undoubtedly the cause of unnecessary temporary
discomfort for a few persons, and since, to quote from an authority,
"Whether one vesicle is produced or a dozen, the protection is absolute
for the time being" in spite of the fact that with one vesicle "the