Debate on compulsory vaccination in the House of Commons on Friday, May 13th, 1893.

Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Debate on compulsory vaccination in the House of Commons on Friday, May 13th, 1893. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    8/20 (page 6)
    last 70 years has been 173 per 1,000,000. In Copenhagen, where they have known tlie number of the population and the deaths from small-pox since 1750, the death-rate from small-pox was, in the second half of the 18th century, 3128 per 1,000,000 before vaccination was used, whilst from 1810— 1872 it has been on the average 130 per 1,000,000. You may read these figures in another fashion. In London 1 person dies now for every 17 who died before the use of vaccination ; in England 1 dies from small-pox for every 20 who died formerly, in Sweden 1 for every 12, and in Copenhagen 1 for every 24 (see Table I). The figures, I have, also refer to epidemics of small- pox at different periods. Epidemics have been defined by a very high medical authority as a condition of things in which 10 per cent, of all the deaths are due to a particular disease. Taking that as the definition, during 48 years of the 17th century there were in London 10 such epidemics ; in the 18th century there were 32 such epidemics ; whilst in the 19th century there has not been one. I think that is a complete answer to the allegations respecting the epidemic diflusion of small-pox in the present day. The decline in the death-rate has also had a curious relation to the progress of vaccination. The more completely vaccination has been enforced, the greater has been the decline in the small-pox death-rate. According to the Registrar-General's returns (see Table II), during the years 1847-53, when vaccination was merely permissive, the total number of deaths in England from small-pox was 305 per 1,000,000 of living persons. During the next series of years, from 1854 to 1871, when vaccination was obligatory but not efliciently enforced, the death-rate fell to 223 per 1,000,000. Between 1871 and 1891, while vaccination has been obligatory and eflSciently enforced by vaccination ofiicers, the death-rate fell to 89 per 1,000,000. Thus, as I have said, there is a pro- gressive decline of small-pox as vaccination is more and more enforced. That decline has occurred in spite of con- ditions which are above all likely to make a disease like small- pox more and more common. Small-pox most probably spreads through the atmosphere, and is certainly communicated by persons being brought into proximity with those who sufier from it. We have gathered together in this city at the present time such a mass of people as the world has never seen gathered to- gether in a single spot before, whilst the communication that takes place between them is vastly greater than was the case in olden times. Therefore, if the same condition of things existed, we might expect an infinitely greater mortality from small- pox now than we had in prevaccination years. It may be said that sanitation has improved, and I admit that it has ; but I say that sanitation has had nothing, or comparatively little, to do with the matter. If hon. gentlemen will be patient I will give them figures which, I think, will show that such is the case. Before, however, I pass away from the present point, I want to point out that the small-pox mortality has de- creased amongst certain portions of the population more than amongst others. The motion deals specially with infants and young persons. Amongst infants under 5 years old the decline in 1872-91 as compared with 1847-53 is no less than 89 per cent., whilst among children between the ages of 5 and 10 it is no less than 72 per cent, (see Table IV.) The decrease of deaths, therefore, is greatest amongst those who have been most recently vaccinated, although, before the days of vaccination, according to calculations based on some