( "±50 ) [July, 



THE PUBLIC HEALTH. 



London. — The principal feature in the Sanitary Legislation of the 

 quarter has been the introduction of a new Vaccination Bill. The 

 necessity of further legislation on the subject of vaccination has been 

 felt by the alarming fatality of the present epidemic of smallpox, 

 which has been very fatal in London, and has extensively prevailed in 

 the provinces. This epidemic is still continuing, and existing legisla- 

 tion has been found quite unable to ensure the vaccination of the 

 community. £o prevalent has been the smallpox, that some persons 

 have asked the question as to whether the cowpox is so perfect a 

 preventive of smallpox as we have been led to consider it. With 

 regard to this question, it may be asserted with the utmost confi- 

 dence that where the disease of cowpox has been properly commu- 

 nicated to an individual, in such cases there is no more tendency for 

 such an individual to take smallpox than if he had had smallpox 

 itself. There is in a very small number of cases a tendency amongst 

 persons who have had smallpox to take it again. It is, however, 

 very questionable as to whether this number is at any time sufficient 

 to keep up the smallpox in a community. We have also abundant 

 evidence to show that in communities where the practice of vaccina- 

 tion is carefully carried out, there smallpox is only an exceptional 

 visitor. 



When the practice of vaccination was first introduced by Jenner 

 in this country, the demonstration of its being able to prevent small- 

 pox was so complete that it was never contemplated that there would 

 be any persons who would neglect for themselves or their families so 

 important a means of preventing a foul and fatal disease. Every 

 adult in the country had more or less personal experience of the 

 fatal nature of smallpox, of the loathsome character of its symptoms, 

 and the deformities it inflicted on those who had had it. But 

 gradually these recollections passed away, and there sprang up in the 

 community persons belonging to the party of medical impostors 

 who maintained that cowpox did more harm than smallpox, and 

 thus an indifference to vaccination has been engendered. It was 

 then sought by legislation to remedy the consequences of this indif- 

 ference, and powers were given to the Boards of Guardians to 

 superintend the vaccination of their districts. Up to the present 

 time this legislation has failed to secure the object desired, and a new 

 Bill is now passing through the House of Commons for the purpose 

 of improving the old Acts. Without going into the details of either 

 the old or new Bills, we would observe that in all there is the same 

 fatal oversight which must render impotent all attempts at vacci- 



