156 
From the imperfect data I have been able to obtain it 
would appear that the proportion of deaths to cases in 
1849-53 was about one-fifth. For every 100 deaths there 
would thus be 500 cases of sickness ; but in London, after 
20 years of compulsory vaccination, there was not only an 
enormously increased death-rate, but for every 100 deaths 
amongst the vaccinated persons there were 984 cases of 
sickness, or nearly double the number there were amongst 
the unvaccinated before vaccination was made compulsory; 
and, as I have shown in my paper above referred to, the 
number of deaths of persons between the ages of 25 and 65 
years had greatly increased during the 20 years of enforced 
vaccination. So far, therefore, from vaccination having been 
the means of saving many thousands of lives annually, as 
has often been very rashly stated, the stern facts recorded 
in the Annual Reports of the Register- General prove beyond 
all question that in the best vaccinated city in the kingdom 
the death-rate among the vaccinated alone is now equal to 
that which prevailed among the un vaccinated before com- 
pulsory vaccination laws were passed ; that the number of 
cases of illness from small-pox has nearly doubled, and that 
the relative number of deaths of adults has also greatly 
increased. 
At the time of the plague it was observed that while 
small-pox was almost exclusively confined to children, the 
plague occurred principally among adults ; that persons 
having once had an attack of small-pox were seldom known 
to have a second, but second and even third attacks oi 
plague were of common occurrence; and that while the 
plague was found to be highly infectious, small-pox was 
regarded as being only contagious, or but very slightly 
infectious. But small-pox is now’ regarded as the most 
infectious of existing diseases, and for some years past 
numerous cases of second attacks haye occurred among both 
