[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Surbiton].

  • Surbiton (Surrey, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
[1899]
Catalogue details

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

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Surbiton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/34 (page 17)
    Authority puts it that vaccination is no efficient protective when done in only two places, and still less if only in one, and let it be known that every mother if she believes in vaccination at all should refuse to have her child done in this way. If she does not believe in vaccination let her too have the courage of her belief, and avail herself of the clause that has been so inadvisedly in serted in the Act, and enrol herself as a con scientious objector; but don't let her deceive herself or be deceived into believing her child is properly protected when vaccinated in only one or two spots. Again, I would advise all em ployers of labour, and most certainly all house holders, to see to it that those in their employ are vaccinated and re-vaccinated. The various Provi ident Clubs should insist that their members are vaccinated, for now that smallpox has received an invitation to come once more amongst us, their funds will be woefully diminished if member after member falls ill or dies from this disease. This rule has been adopted already in some of the large Benefit Societies in the North of England, where far-seeing and prudent members have become alarmed at the prospect that was being unfolded before them. With regard to the conscientious objector, fortunately the inhabitants of this part of the country have not been led astray to the same extent as those in some other districts; but evil example soon spreads, and it is necessary that every man and woman should approach this question seriously. It will very soon be a part of the duty of Sanitary Authorities to consider what steps they are prepared to take in the not unlikely event of this disease re-appearing. Isolation Hospitals alone will not meet the case, and there is one point well worth remembering, viz., when 17