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23
The preventive efficacy of vaccination in staying the ravages
of this terrible malady is so thoroughly established, that the
sufferers must hold themselves responsible for their own neglect
in not taking advantage of the protection at their command.
Handbills have been posted and circulated by the Vestry yearly,
pointing out this fact, and referring the public to vaccinators,
who operate free of charges, so that the Vestry cannot be held
responsible for the prevalence of this malady. At the same time,
in every case brought to notice, special care has been taken that
the rooms occupied by the patients were thoroughly disinfected.
In many instances the beds have been burnt and replaced by new
at the Parish expense. And in several cases where the family
has been broken up by death, and the rooms re-occupied, after
disinfection, I have carefully noticed that no infection to the new
tenants has ever occurred.
I believe that the vaccination is well looked after in the
Parish; and no prosecution for neglect has been found necessary.
The following experience of Dr. Grieve, in the Hampstead
Hospital, is worth recording, in relation to the influence of
vaccination upon Small Pox. Of 6221 patients admitted, 1218
were without vaccination marks; and of these 638 or 51.12 per
cent, died; while of 4973 with vaccination marks, only 567 died
—11.40 per cent. The general mortality was 19.36 per cent.
The mortality in relation to the number of vaccination marks
was as follows:-with 1 mark, the mortality was 17.39 per
cent.; with 2, 12.17; with 3, 10.58; with 4, 8.38; and with
5 and mere, 6.43 per cent. And it was found, that after revaccination
efficiently performed, any person might safely attend
upon Small Pox patients, without fear of infection, much less of
death.
The experience of Dr. Collie, at the Homerton Small Pox
Hospital, is worth recording also. "During the five months that
Small Pox was treated in the Hospital, 110 persons were
engaged in attendance upon the sick. All of these, with two
exceptions, were re-vaccinated, and they all, with the exceptions
referred to, although exposed to the infection in its most concentrated
form, escaped the disease. The appointment of these
persons had not been referred to the Medical Superintendent,
and as a consequence they were not re-vaccinated, and they both
contracted Small Pox." The same results have been reported in
other Hospitals.