CHAP. xvin. VACCINATION A DELUSION. 287 



ble proof of the value of vaccination when performed on 

 adults. It is important, therefore, to see how the Com- 

 missioners deal with these conclusive test-cases. They 

 were appointed to discover the truth and to enlighten the 

 public and the legislature, not merely to bring together 

 huge masses of undigested facts. 



What they do is, to make no comparison whatever 

 with any other fairly comparable populations; to show 

 no perception of the crucial test they have to deal with; 

 but to give the Army and l^avy statistics separately, and 

 as regards the Army piecemeal, and to make a few in- 

 credibly weak and unenlightening remarks. Thus, in 

 par. 333, they say that, during the later years, as the 

 whole force became more completely revaccinated, small- 

 pox mortality declined. But they knew well that during 

 the same period it declined over all England, Scotland, 

 and Ireland^ with 110 special revaccination, and most of 

 all in un vaccinated Leicester! Then with regard to the 

 heavy small-pox mortality of the wholly revaccinated 

 and protected troops in Egypt, they say, " AVe are not 

 aware what is the explanation of this." And this is ab- 

 solutely all they say about it! But they give a long 

 paragraph to the Post Office officials, and make a great 

 deal of their alleged immunity. But in this case the 

 numbers are smaller, the periods are less, and no statistics 

 whatever are furnished except for the last four years! 

 All the rest is an extract from a parliamentary speech 

 by Sir Charles Dilke in 1883, stating some facts, fur- 

 nished of course by the medical officers of the Post 

 Office, and therefore not to be accepted as evidence. 1 



1 Neither Sir C. Dilke nor the Post Office medical officers of the 

 period referred to gave evidence before the Commission, and it 



