Report on the epidemic of smallpox 1901-2 in the Borough of Lambeth.

  • Lambeth (London, England)
Date:
[1902]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Report on the epidemic of smallpox 1901-2 in the Borough of Lambeth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The end justifies the means adopted, no case of Smallpox occurring amongst the staff. Efficient Re-vaccination. At the time of the large increase in vaccinations and re-vaccina- tions some difficulty was experienced by medical practitioners in obtaining calf lymph of sufficient activity to give satisfactory results both in primary vaccinations and re-vaccinations. The Local Government Board was appealed to with a view to the Board supplying registered medical practitioners, as well as (at present) Public Vaccinators, with a supply of active glycerinated calf lymph. The Board, however, declined to accede to this appeal, in an official letter sent to the Kensington Borough Coun- cil, dated February 6th, 1902. It has also been suggested that all registered medical practitioners residing or practising in Lam- beth, and in other Metropolitan Districts, should act as Public Vaccinators at a uniform fee for efficient vaccination or re-vaccin ation. Transfer of Vaccination Powers. The question was raised at the end of 1901 by the Kensington and Stoke Newington Borough Councils and by the Paddington and Wandsworth and Clapham Guardians, as to the advisability of placing such important preventive measures as vaccination and re-vaccination under the direct control of the Sanitary Authority. Theoretically, such a change is desirable, as it is certainly an anomaly that vaccination and re-vaccination alone, of all the well- known preventive measures in connection with the stamping out of Smallpox, should rest with an outside Authority (the Guardians) —the Sanitary Authorities being responsible for all the other pre- ventive measures. From a point of view of efficient administra tion, all such measures should be under one responsible Authority, as it might happen, for instance, that friction or difference of opinion might exist between members of the Guardians and mem- bers of a Sanitary Authority. In this way the health of a district may be prejudiced. The Borough Council of Lambeth, on the advice of the Medical Officer, approved (on December 12th, 1901) the principle of all preventive measures in connection with Small- pox being in the hands of one responsible Authority, and that Authority being the Sanitary Authority, which deals with all other infectious diseases and their prevention. It was decided, however, that no action should be taken during the epidemic of Smallpox, but that after such epidemic was over the Local Government Board (or other Department) might be approached with a view to such transference of powers being effected. It has been sug- gested that a transference from the Guardians to a Borough Coun- cil (practically the same electorate) will not benefit matters much,