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say, inefficient vaccination done. Medical men in some instances,
unfortunately, allow themselves to be influenced by their patients,
and instead of producing four or five good vesicles, perhaps cause
only two or three imperfect ones. Statistics clearly shew that the
rate of mortality from Small-pox in persons who have not been
vaccinated is about 50 per cent., whilst amongst vaccinated persons
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it is 13 percent, and that this 13 per cent is reduced still lower in
proportion to the efficiency of the vaccination, whilst deaths amongst
the efficiently re-vaccinated are almost unknown.
Dr. Collie, in reporting upon the 915 cases of Small-pox treated in
the Homerton Fever Hospital during the five months in 1877, for
which period that institution was open for the reception of patients
suffering from this disease, states:—
(1) That the unvaccinated died at the rate of 53 per cent. ; (2) that the badly
vaccinated died at the rate of 26 per cent. ; (3) that the fairly well vaccinated died
at the rate of 2.3 per cent, ; and (4) that but one death occurred in any person
under 16 years of age who showed two good cicatrices of vaccination, and after 16
only three such persons died.
Dr. Gayton, in reporting upon the patients admitted into the
Homerton Small-pox Hospital from the 1st of February, 1871, when
the institution was first opened, till the 31st of December last, has
the following statements:—
The great contrast between the Vaccinated and the Unvaccinated is unmistakable
and incontrovertible, and the same remark holds good as regards the vaccinated
also, the differences in the latter being that in some of them the disease is of a mild
form, in others most severe, sometimes terminating in death. Thus as regards the
183 having one good mark, 19 died; of 461 with two good marks, 17 died; of 331
with three good marks, 10 died; of 222, with four or more good marks, 4 died ;
giving an average rate of mortality of 10.38 per cent., 3'68 per cent., 3.02 per cent.,
and r8o per cent, respectively; or taking all good cicatrices together, whether they
be one, two, three, four, or more, we find that only 3.57 per cent. die. With
imperfect marks there were 2,165 cases, of whom 247 died, making the mortality
11.40 per cent., the average mortality being, with one cicatrix, 15.93 per cent. ; with
two cicatrices, 11.52 per cent., and with three cicatrices, 7.90 per cent., and with
four or more cicatrices, 5.75 per cent. Of those stated to have been vaccinated, but
without evidence (that is with no visible marks) 674 have come under notice, of
whom 194 died, or at the rate per cent, of 28.78 ; and lastly, 1,243 were confessedly
unvaccinated, and of these 574 died, or at the rate of 46.17 per cent.
With regard to vaccination the same gentleman says:—
That one only amongst the large number of nurses and others who have been
occupied here (and in her case the operation was neglected) should have contracted
the disease is, or should be, convincing proof of its great and almost prophylactic
influence.