Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St James's, Westminster]
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10
"I do not sympathise with my medical brethren on
"this point. I think the first duty of a citizen is
"to obey the law, and can only express my regret
"that so respectable a body of men, should set so
"bad an example. If they are suffering from any
"hardship or oppression, the same course is open
"to them as to others, and they can claim relief at
"the hands of the Government."
As the result of my experience in the matter
of vaccination, I would suggest the adoption of the
following changes:—
1. Before any effectual supervision of vaccination
can be instituted, there must be a compulsory
system of registration of births.
At the present moment there is neither
compulsory registration of births or deaths
in this Country; and with regard to
vaccination, there can be no superintendence
of it, unless it is accurately known
what children are born.
2. The children born being known, there should
be some officer appointed whose duty it
should be to see that every child born was
vaccinated. This duty I think could be
performed through the Registrar-General's
office, who already collects the imperfect
Statistics of Births and Deaths, which are
from time to time published.
3. In the case of the poorer classes, who are