REPORT OF THE ROYAL VACCINATION COMMISSION. 695 



ten years of age are unvaccinated. Although Dr. MacLaurin favours 

 vaccination and respects it highly, he is satisfied that the system of isola- 

 tion as supervised by him is perfectly successful. As President of the 

 Board of Health he considered it his business to produce extinction of the 

 disease ; he does not consider vaccination a sufficiently absolute protection 

 for such purpose ; and he is " fully of opinion that the only way in which 

 " you can bring to an end an outbreak of small-pox, that is to say, bring 

 " it under control, and not leave it to work itself out, is by notification 

 " and isolation. Of course, in any small community, if you let the disease 

 " in it will work itself out in time, because all the susceptible people will 

 " have had it ; but the only way in which you can absolutely control an 

 " epidemic of small-pox is by a system of notification and isolation." 



Small-pox has never been epidemic in Western Australia. Only one 

 case has occurred within the last 31 years, and that was an imported one ; 

 quarantine was carried out, and no infection occurred ; the immunity from 

 the disease is mainly at least due to isolation. Before 1879 vaccination 

 was not generally practised a great majority of those born in the colony 

 were unvaccinated ; in that year a compulsory Vaccination Act was passed 

 in consequence of Sir H. Ord and Dr. Waylen's representations, and in 

 consequence of reports of small-pox in other colonies, and not on account 

 of the existence of small-pox in Western Australia. 



In Tasmania there was a compulsory vaccination law, but it was found 

 to be inoperative because no one was appointed to conduct the prosecu- 

 tions, and it has now fallen into desuetude. The same system of isolation 

 and quarantine is exercised as in the other Australian colonies. Small-pox 

 was for the first time introduced into Tasmania in 1887, and although 

 preparations for isolation were inadequate, the disease was soon stamped 

 out. Communication between Launceston and Melbourne was temporarily 

 suspended, and to this precaution the non-invasion of Victoria was 

 attributed. The particulars of this, the first introduction of small-pox 

 into Tasmania during the history of that colony, are to be found in a 

 report to the Central Board of Health by Mr. A. Mault, dated Novem- 

 ber 17th, 1887. The origin of the outbreak is not clear, but it was 

 presumed to have been imported, probably by a ship from China, into 

 Launceston. The earliest case reported to the Local Board of Health 

 was on September 23rd, though it appears that earlier cases had passed 

 unnoticed, or had been notified as measles. Thirty-three cases in' all 

 occurred, every one of which was traced to direct infection from the first 

 case. By September 27th a temporary hospital had been erected, and 

 thither patients and suspects to the number of 72 were removed. The last 

 case appeared on October 13th. Other persons who had been to the infected 

 houses were isolated in their houses and watched. Only four of the 47 

 persons quarantined at the station were attacked. The clothing was 

 burnt, and very thorough disinfection of the infected houses was carried 

 out, and the dead were interred in a special cemetery. The other colonies 

 were communicated with, and quarantine, at first unduly rigid and after- 

 wards relaxed, was practised against ships proceeding from Tasmania. 

 Although vaccination had been nominally compulsory in Tasmania, it was 

 estimated that two-fifths of the population were unvaccinated. 



