NA TURE 



725 



SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1922. 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



Smallpox and Vaccination ...... 725 



Religio Chirurgi 726 



Chemical Technology ...... 726 



Forward Progression 728 



The Nature of Science ...... 72S 



Aspects of Military Medicine. By W B. . . . 729 



Our Bookshelf 730 



Letters to the Editor : — 



The Isotopes of Antimony.— Dr. F. W. Aston, 



F.R.S 732 



Experiments on the Theory of Soil-acidity. — Prof. 



J. N. Mukherjee 732 



New Spectra of Water Vapour. Air, and I Iydrogen in 



the extreme Ultra-violet. — J. J. Hopfield . . 732 



Molecular Viscosity. — Frank M. Lidstone . . 733 

 New Weights and Measures for India. — Howard 



Richards ; C. A. Silberrad .... 734 

 Harpoons under Peat in Holderness, Vorks. — T. 



Sheppard 735 



The Relationship between the common Hermit-crab 

 {Eupagiii us bernhardus) and the Anemone {Sagartia 



parasitica,). {Illustrated.)— Dr. J. H. Orton . 735 

 First Lessons in Practical Biology. — E. W. Shann ; 



The Reviewer . 736 



The Mechanism of the Cochlea. — Dr. G. Wilkinson . 737 



An Offer of Nature Volumes.— M. Gheury de Bray 737 



Human Blood Relationships 73S 



The History of the Photographic Lens . . 739 

 Obituary : — 



Prof. Heinrich Rubens. By R. W. L. and Sir 



Joseph Larmor, F.R.S. . . . . 740 

 Lieut. -Col. G. L. Tupman. By Dr. A. C. D. 



Crommelin 742 



H. J. Powell 742 



Current Topics and Events 743 



Our Astronomical Column ...... 747 



Research Items 74S 



The Society of German Men of Science and Physi- 

 cians. By Prof. B. Rassow 750 



The Present Position of Darwinism . . . .751 



Effects of Local Conditions on Radio Direction- 

 finding ......... 753 



New X ray Department at Manchester . . . 753 



University and Educational Intelligence . . . 754 



Calendar of Industrial Pioneers . . . . 756 



Societies and Academies 756 



Official Publications Received 760 



Diary of Societies 760 



Editorial and Publishing Offices : 



MACMILLAN &• CO., LTD., 



ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON, W.C.2. 



Advertisements and business letters should'be 



addressed to the Publishers. 



Editorial communications to the Editor. 



Telegraphic Address : PHUSIS, LONDON 

 Telephone Number : GERRARD 8830. 



NO. 2770, VOL. I IO] 



Smallpox and Vaccination. 



THE present limited outbreak of smallpox in 

 London gives point to the leaflet on smallpox 

 and vaccination issued by the Research Defence 

 Society. The widespread distribution of this circular 

 would help in dissipating much misapprehension on 

 the subject. Those requiring a more detailed ex- 

 position will find it in a recent report of nineteen 

 I -.tied by the Ministry of Health at the price 



of y. 



The leaflet of the Research Defence Society points 

 out that some fifteen million persons in England and 

 Wales at the present time are unprotected against 

 smallpox by vaccination. Figures are quoted illustrat- 

 ing the well-known facts that smallpox attacks chiefly 

 the un vaccinated, that the fatality among un vaccinated 

 is much higher than among vaccinated patients, and 

 that practically no vaccinated child under ten years 

 old suffers from the disease. 



The supply of glycerinated calf lymph renders it 

 impossible for either tuberculosis or syphilis to be 

 conveyed by vaccination. This danger was always 

 remote. It is now extinguished. The occurrence of 

 complications after vaccination is avoidable if proper 

 care and cleanliness are maintained. Yet a large 

 proportion of the total population are unprotected by 

 vaccination, and are dependent for their freedom from 

 smallpox, on the prompt recognition and notification 

 of every case of smallpox, on the intelligence and 

 completeness of the work of the medical officer of 

 health, and on the satisfactory working of every part 

 of the machinery of sanitary administration which, 

 almost times without number, has restrained out- 

 breaks of smallpox within a small circle. This 

 machinery comprises hospital isolation of patients, 

 disinfection, a complete list and daily surveillance of 

 contacts with the patient, and the surrounding of the 

 patient with a complete ring of persons protected by 

 vaccination, including sanitary inspectors, disinfectors, 

 ambulance drivers, doctors, nurses, wardsmaids, and 

 so on. 



It is this ring of protected persons and the prompt 

 vaccination or revaccination of all who have been 

 exposed to infection which enables us to point to a 

 record of smallpox prevention of which the country 

 can be proud — a record in remarkable contrast to the 

 national record as regards whooping-cough and measles. 

 Every person vaccinated and revaccinated diminishes 

 the strain on public health administration; and if 

 this means of protection were to lie systematically 

 and universally adopted, smallpox hospitals would on 

 longer be required. 



