View report page

and will most certainly accrue, if, owing to the
laxity of this Act the conscientious objector is to
be allowed to increase and multiply. The question
at once arises "How can these dangers be
averted?" To that the obvious reply is "By the
diffusion of a proper knowledge of the subject,"
for the mass of the people are fully alive to their
own interests when they rightly know when and
how those interests are to be safeguarded.
Nothing is more difficult to successfully
combat than prejudice begotten of ignorance, and
the ignorance shewn on this subject is something
appalling, and unfortunately to some extent the
Medical Profession is not free from blame. I
would therefore wish to draw attention to what is a
most essential feature in vaccination, and that is
the having it done thoroughly and as efficiently
as possible.
Every qualified Medical man is instructed
in vaccination, and knows what is required of him
to vaccinate successfully and efficiently. Nevertheless,
to make the matter as certain as can
be, the Government, acting on the highest medical
wisdom and experience, has in the Local
Government Board Orders distinctly laid down
how vaccination is to be performed, and if it is to
be performed properly it must be done in that way.
It says "The Public Vaccinator must aim at
"producing four separate good-sized vesicles or
"group of vesicles not less than half an inch from
"one another." This makes it obligatory on him
(the Public Vaccinator) to vaccinate in that way
and to that extent, and by such means if the result
is successful the child is protected against smallpox
for a certain period. The medical man, other than
the Public Vaccinator, follows suit, and vaccinates
his cases similarly, and with probably equally
15