594 COMPARATIVE MERITS OP VACCINATION. 
As regards the recent debate before the Metropolitan 
Counties Branch of the British Medical Association,* we have 
Dr. Greene of Birmingham, from personal experience, ad¬ 
vocating animal vaccination because of the “ advantages this 
method presents of an overflowing fountain of lymph of a 
relatively high standard of activity for the renewal of stocks at 
any time, when opinion or accident makes it requisite.” H,e 
confirms for the most part the assertions I have made above, re¬ 
garding the various excellent qualities of animal vaccine, and 
he considers the uncertainty of animal lymph would “ be of 
no consequence with a good stock, with skill and judgment 
in cultivation, and with the limitations of the method ” he 
specifies. 
There is not the slightest doubt that the public vaccination 
arrangements which were legalized in England in 1867, and 
have been assiduously carried out there since that date, have 
improved immensely the vaccination and consequent protection 
of the population. Dr. Seaton, too, as the principal initiator 
and propagator of this reform, may indeed congratulate him¬ 
self on the happy results; but that thus “ we are in possession 
of the means, if we rightly use them,” wherewith “ severely 
fatal epidemics should by-and-by be made to cease from 
amongst us,” is an admission which few wall concede who 
have practically weighed the subject. As a public vaccinator 
under the Act of 1867, and with the experience of nearly ten 
years, during which this town has twice suffered from epidemic 
smallpox, 1 do not think existing arrangements, much less 
so the vaccine generally employed are sufficient for the effi¬ 
cient protection of the population against smallpox. It is 
very gratifying to learn from Dr. Seaton that 95 per cent, of 
the whole population of England are accounted for as vac¬ 
cinated, or dead or unsuitable for vaccination; but inasmuch 
as only two-thirds of these have been vaccinated at the public 
stations where specially qualified persons, duly inspected 
results, and thoroughly active lymph (obtained by arm-to-arm 
vaccination) are to be found, there is still too large an amount 
of soil open for the propagation of smallpox. “ It is certain,” 
says Dr. Seaton (British Medical Journal , 22nd June 1878, p. 
888), “ that our defences against smallpox, as dependent on 
the quality of vaccination, are much in advance of what they 
were, and as time goes on, the proportion of the population 
not merely vaccinated, but thoroughly vaccinated, must be 
a constantly increasing proportion. So far as concerns 
personal carefulness and a knowledge up to the science of 
the day, we have no right to suppose that the vaccination of 
* British Medical Journal , 22nd June, 1S78. 
