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4
Smallpox it will thus be seen was more or less prevalent during
the whole of the year. Regarding it as I do as one of the most
preventible of diseases, through vaccination, I cannot do otherwise
than attribute its presence among us to the neglect of this precaution.
The Vaccination Acts are now administered in the
district with a zeal which bids fair to accomplish its object, but
there are diffculties in the way as will be seen from the following
report of the Vaccination Officer of the Stepney Union.
This Officer states that during the year there were 2,204
Births registered in the Union ; of this number 1,870 children were
successfully vaccinated, 183 died, 1 had Smallpox, 8 were postponed,
7 proved insusceptible, 25 were traced to other Unions and notices
sent to the respective officers, 101 never resided at the addresses
given, and 9 remain unvaccinated. In addition to these there were
576 successful vaccinations of children born previous to 1881.
Now what has become of the 101 children who never resided at the
addresses given 1 I fear they are lost for vaccination purposes, and
if this is the number lost in the year out of 2,200 births registered
in the Limehouse District, it follows that if the same rate be maintained
over the whole of the metropolis more than 6,000 children
escaped vaccination in London alone by the simple device on the
part of the parent of giving a false address when registering the
birth of a child. How many escaped vaccination by the avoidance
of registration altogether it would be interesting to know. The
possibility of the existence of such a state of things calls for, in my
opinion, some amendment in the Registration Act.