THE RUSH FOR VACCINATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 24, 29 January 1904, Page 6

THE RUSH FOR VACCINATION.

The suspicious case in Ebor-street, referred to in yesterday's Post, was that of a girl, who was removed to tho Berhamporo Hospital, tho case being diagnosed as undoubtedly one of smallpox. Tho house in which tho child lived has been fumigated, and tho houbo adjoining quarantined, as tins children of both houses had been j>lnyin£( together. Most of tho people in tho vicinity have already been vaccinated, tho tcMilt of tho houad-to-houao visitation inado recently by the authorities. Tho rea.son of the enso hcin{r removed to Borhampore Hospital is, says Dr. Mason, that that is the proper placo for any caso occurring in the city. All future ca.ses will be sent there, but patients from other places will bo sent to Somes Island. A house-to-houso inspection is being niado in the vicinity of Ebor-street, where n caso of Hinnllpox wns discovered yesterday, to see if thero are any other cases of a suspicious nature, and also to induce any pooplo not yet vaccinated to submit, to the operation. Medical men havo also been detailed to go through all the closely-congested parts of tho city and make » house-to-house visit for vaccinating purposes, and generally to report on their condition. Tho announcement in yesterday's Post that smallpox had been discovered in our midst resulted in a largo number of persons immediately resorting to vaccination, and public vaccinator* wero kept very busy during tho evening.. One' doctor, it is stated, vaccinated over sixty people boforo ho concluded his labours. This morning tho ruwh of candidates at tho Health Department was ho great that tho small space available vrn» found to be insuflicient, and an upstairs room in the Museum building adjoining was set apart for tho purpasc., Another suspicious case was investigated by tho authorities this morning. Tho suspicions, however, proved to bo unfounded. Dr». Hector, Ross, Perry, and Hamilton are gazetted" public vaccinator» for the district of llutt. > Dr. Alexander will vaccinate at his surgery from 7 till 9 p.m. daily, as well as at other advertised hours. No more visitors will bo allowed at Mount Viow Asylum until the smallpox scaro is over, A correspondent, signing himself " Anti-V.", writes :—": —" In connection with the smallpox scare, which is being worked for all it's worth, 1 notice a paragraph in your issue of this evening containing a statoment that forty children wore vaccinated in tho Brooklyn School. I would liko to know if this wan done without tho parents' consent in every case duly obtained beforehand, because, if so, I consider it' would be a gross outrage. I think it is a great wrong the way tho credulity of tho public is being worked upon over this matter, with tho object no doubt of trying to obtain a repeal of the conscience clause of tho Vaccination Act." The writer then goes on to give reasons for his opinion, but wo have excised that portion of hi« lettor,, as it would only give ,riso to protracted correspondence, which would be productive of no benefit at tho present time. Ah to the first portion of his letter, however, tho law on tho subject of vaccination is contained in the Public Health Act, 1900, and the Public Health Amendment Act, 1901. Under the Act of 1900 the parent or custodian of a child must cause it to bo vaccinated within twelve months after birth, and notice to that effect is given to the parent or custodian at the timo the birth is registered. Further, it is the duty of the parent or custodian of every uiwaccinatcd pupil attending a public school to causo such child to bo vaccinated. The maximum penalty for neglectitijt to have a child vaccinatirf is £2.^ Provision is, however, made for the issue of certificates of exemption when the parent or guardian has conscientious objections to vaccination. ' !