The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-05-18 00:00:00

I

VACCINATION.
--VDT OF THE mows. TO THE IifeIIIBTARY OF
STATE FOE THE HOME DEPARTMENT, FROM
THE RATIONAL VA CCIN E ESTABLISH*
DATED APRIL 12, 1821.
To the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Sideman, Principal
Secretary of Matelot. the Home Department, &c. i.e.
National Vaccine Establishment,
Perey•strett, Aped 12, 1821.
MT untia—it is with great revel we sanounee to your
' Lordship, tbat the Small Pox has occasioned the loss of
many lives in various parts of the United Kingdom sines
our sit Report ; and that mot less than 792 persons have
died of that distemper within the Bills of Mortality, in the
;course of the last year. This is abbot one-third of the ave-
rage number or them who perished lly in the metro-
piths before the introduction of Vocalising ; but fro matey
deaths afford • strong presumptive proof that great pile-
dices still prevail mann Vaccination, sad that the heneso
lent designs of the Govern meal are still far from being ac-
complished.
This Board has Wintered laccssantly to set forth the com-
parative ease and rafety of the indisposition of Vaccinatios,
and the dialculty And danger of the Small Plot, whether
occurring naturally or oreasioned by luoculatioo ; and it
has been misted most importantly, and in the true spirit of
.issiotcrested benevolence, by Ilse Master, Governors, and
Members of the Court of Assistants of the Royal College of
Surgeons, who have bawd themselves iadividadlly lu each
ether, by a solemn engagement, not to yield to any solicits.
t ions to inoculate for the Small Pos. This good example bat
been followed by most of the retpirelohle Pmethimenrio she.
"country ; though some of then, we sec sorry to mu hive lea
thanowlvni improvident* to this injurious practice. And We
llnd that the multitude in many places has been so infatuated,'
us to accept tee- prufrred services evea of itinerant isigco..
tots, In spite of their gross ignorance set all disease, and of the
rudeness and inaptitude of the instruments which they em-
ploy to initial the poison. Hence a perpetual source of con-
tagion is supplied end kept up, to the constant danger of .11
each as have yet been vaccinated, or Ain may have nu-
dergane an imperfect romp., or whose peculiarity of cuss-
. nitwit,* makes them still susceptible of the Vail/lows ba-
sest.; a pertiliarity 'Molar to that which renders sons per-
sons capable of taking the Small Pon twice; of who*
within tile period of three years only, we hate received ori-
dince of nut less than filly-two 'Maisons.
It is true, iudeed, my lord, that we have received
roads bum different parts of the country, of numerous
rases of tiatati Pox having sweltered after Vaccination; sad
we cannot doubt that the pojiidices of the people against
this p live exprilitut ate assignable (mid not altogether
unreasonably perhaps) to this cause.
• These caws the 1303rd has been indostrionsly employed in
invest igating ; anti though it appears that many of them rest
only pn hearsay tvideoce, and till, others seem to have under-
gone lite Vaccine process haw, (wetly, some years shire, when
%it was his well ottileralood, mil poetised less ski/fulty than it
ouf,ht In be, yet, after eiery reasonable deduction, we are
rumpelled in allow that ton witty stilt remain on weetivoiatile
•pmof, to Irma any doubt that the pretensions of Vaccination
so the merit of a perfect sod exclusive security is all cases
against Small Pus, were admitted at first rather too once-
stervcifly. Yet the value of Ibis important resonree is 1101
-disparaged in oar judgment ; fur, afore all, these cases bear •
very small proportion ill the number of those who are effecno
'oily protected by Ili. The reports of the Vaccinators at the
waxl stations in the metropolis, give only eeghl eases of
Small Pax out of nearly 67 000 vaccinated by them sinewthe.
Si,,s establiellinetit of this Board; sail, as the Small Pox has
.prevailed tOttensirely le London, these persons so Vaccinated
most have been frequently exposed to contagion, sad cone.
'quently the protertiog effcet of Vaccination must have been
submitted In as revere a test as can well be imagined.
Moreover, we have the most undoubted prook from ex-
perteece, that wheie Vaccination has been rammed
!small Po; occurring after it is almost universally a safe
• disease ; and though ushered in by • ymplums, has
liatelly ever failed to be cut short, before it had reached that
period at which it becomes dangerous to life.
This controlling poser of Vaccination mist be admitted
as next in importance to ita preventive influent?, sod surely
justifies cote high estimation' of the valise of this great die-
eorery.
The Board has taken care to promulgate to all its ewes
groodents, by repeated admonitions, those modes of con.
4.,:ing the process of Vaccination, which ample experience
within its own immediate sphere of obseivation, has awes
•Thieed to be the most successful.
It cannot be &pied, my Lord, that the eontinumer of the
`practice of inm-alation for the Stoat Pox is the mats source
of whatever disappointment we hove met with ; for in thoso
couotries where the Legislature has interfered to prohibit
is, and to enforce Vaccination, the Small Pox has become
almost unknown, and the full benefit of this saleable dis-
covery is enjoyed; but similar results, we know, cannot be
looked for in the United Kingdom, until the whole commu-
nity shall concur voluntarily in this salutary practice.
We have ouly to add, that 6,933 arson were vaccinated
last year at the I stations in London ; that 48,105
cherees have been given to the public, and that 77,46'7 have
hero vaccinated in Great Britain and Ireland, by our name-
%lisle correspondents only, making a total of 84,400 vacci-
nated last year, a number superior to that of any former.
7".
HENRY HA LFOR D, President.
. RIVHARD POWELL, M.D. ?Censors of the
JOHN COOK F, M.D.
WM. M ACMICHAEI,M.D Royal (allege
or Physician..
• P. ,urße. LATHAM, M.D.
T. FoRsTF.a, Master of the Itity•l College of
So wow,.
EVEKARD HOME, Governors of the Royal
BLIZAR D. f College of Surgeons.
Be Order of the Baud,
JAMES HERVEY, M.D. Registrar.
We beg permission In subjoin the Declaration of the
ltembe.s of the Royal College of Surgeons.

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