VACCINATION.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3096, 10 January 1871, Page 3

VACCINATION.

The following is a circular enclosed in a despatch from the Eight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and published in the Gazette for general information : — Downing street;, Oofc. 17, 1870. Sic, — In his circular despatch of the 3rd of September, 1867, the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos communicated to you, for the consideration of your Government, a oopy of the Imperial Act 30 and 31 Viotoria, cap. 84, for amending and consolidating the law relating to vaccination in England. It is well known thafc that acfc waa enacted for England in view of tbe very remarkable success which had attended fche system of compulsory vacoination introduced into Ireland by Sir Robert Feel's Act of 1863. Since the date of the Duke of Buckingham's despatch the progress niade in stamping out Btnall-pox in Ireland' has been still more remarkable than in previous years ; and I think it may be well fco pufc you in possession of fche faots of the whole oase. In fche year 1851 an Aot of Parliament was passed, called the Medical Charities Act (Ireland), 1851, by which ifc was made .part of the offloial duty of every dispensary medical officer in Ireland to vaccinate, gratis, all persons coming to him or brought to him for thafc purpose. In the ten years previous to the passing of this act, the deaths from small-pox in Ireland had, averaged 3800 ayear 5 in the seven years subsequent fco fche act, from 1851 to 1857, fchey averaged aboufc 1500 a year. , In 1858, Lord. Mayo oarried through Parliament an aot providing that the Poor Law Medioal

Officers should receive a gratuity- of one shilling for every suooessful vaccination performed. Owing to the impetus given to vaccination by this latter acfc, the deaths from small-pox, in tbe yeara from 1858 to 1863, did nofc average more than 1000 a year. On the Ist of January, 1864, commenced the operation' of fche acfc of 1863, which rendered vaccination compulsory, and which, it should be observed, continued the provision in Lord Mayo'a act whereby tha Medioal Officers had been given a pecuniary interest in the efficiency of the system fchey were called on fco administer. The effect; of fche acfc of 1863, in stamping out small-pox, is shown by the following tablo of deatha resulting from fchat disease, in the years since ita enactment : — 1864 854 deatha 1865 ... ... 84,7 „ 1966 ..-. , ... 187 „ 1867 20 „ 1868 19 „ 1869 ... ... 1 death The man who died in 1869 waa a Swedish sailor, who came to Ireland with the disease already on him. In 1870, as far as the returns have been ascertained, only oue man haa died of small-pox, and only forty-eight casea of.it have been treated, and of these thirty-fcwo are referable fco contagion imported from England, Scotland, and Norway; and in no case of outbreak did the disease become epidemic. The Poor Law Commissioners for Ireland give it aa their experience, fchat whilst ifc is undoubtedly the case that vaccination doea nofc in every instance render fche person vaccinated proof against the disease, yet ifc does ao in a very large proportion of caaes ; and when the disease doea attaok those who have been vaccinated, ifc comes in a modified form, and is farlesß fatal, as will be perceived from the following table, which has been compiled by Mr Simon, medioal officer of -the English Privy Oouncil. Table showing the proportion of casea of amallpox ending fatally amongat persons wholly unvaccinated and persons more or less efficiently . vaccinated. Olasa 1. Amongßt peraons unvacoinated 35J f^ 2. „ Btated to have been © vaccinated, but bearing novaccine acar 21i £ 3. „ having one vacoine g acar ... ... 7&J g 4. „ having fcwo vaccine § scars 4J* <g 5. „ having three vaooine « acara lf | 6. „ having four or more v acars f l_o< I need only further observe thafc the efficient working of a compulsory Vaccination Aot must; be wholly dependent on an efficient; registration of births. Such auocess aa has been attained in Ireland cannot be looked for if any appreciable number of fche infant population are left unvaccinated, and this cannot be guarded against; unless the registration of births is as nearly perfect aa may be. In Ireland, Parliament has done tho utmost that can be done to prevent any thing of fche kind, by combining the duties, of Registrar with thoae of medical officer and public vaccinator; those who have a pecuniary interest; in the extension of vaccination being thus pufc in a position to know of every case in whicb it may be performed. You will communicate fchia despatch to the Legislature of the colony under your government, at the same time bringing fche oot forwarded to you by the Duke of Buckingham again under ita notice, unless the colony has adopted the compulsory syatem j but in any case, it will be useful that the remarkable facts as rogard small-pox in Ireland should be made publicly known.— l have, &o, Kimberluy. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.