Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the legislature, and a draft of a proposed act of parliament for redress / by Richard Griffin.

Griffin, Richard

Date:: 1860

Credit: Statement of the grievances of the poor law medical officers, elucidated in a letter to the members of the legislature, and a draft of a proposed act of parliament for redress / by Richard Griffin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$occasionally fails in affording perfect immunity against small-pox is a well known fact^and arises from a peculiar predisposition m ceitain individuals X Siclr disease a second time, whereas in the usual way people are but ^ce aftected by them. Many instances are recorded of persons havine had the small-pox a second tune, and some so severely as to cause death^proving that even small-pox itself is not always protective against S-pox; therefore we need not be surprised that vaccination occasionally fidls but to prevent this failure re-vaccinatioii is recommended and the Privy CoiincU, doubtless under the advice HeaUh Mr. Simon, (to whom the public are deeply indebted for that valuable compilation of facts recorded in the Blue Book, entitled Papers relating to the History and Practice of Vaccination, ) have named fifteen years as the age, under ordinary circumstances, when re-vaccination should take place, or 12 years, if small-pox is prevalent That the present Vaccination Acts have to a certain extent failed is well-known, and arises from too much labour being imposed upon Public Vaccinators, and too little pay being given them. According to the present plan twenty persons may be vaccinated in a given time, but it will take three times as long to make out the certihcates, which accounts for many medical men declining to fill them up ; simplity this part of the plan, as is proposed in our Draft Act, and every vaccina- tion will be recorded. The present payment for each vaccination varies from Is. to 2s. 6d. a case, giving an average of Is. 74d. each, increase this amount in the way proposed, the highest sum asked being but 2s. 6d., and vaccination will be effectually carried out, and thus due homage will be paid to the memory of the immortal Jenner. PAYMENTS MADE TO THE MEDICAL OFFICERS. Divisions. Number of Officers who receive for Vaccination Under 51. 51. under 101. O cs u T3 {3 O O 20/. under 30/. -S 9 o w 0 « u D TJ 9 1 50/. under GO/. O o 'd a d o o O CO o rS 9 o 80/. under 90/. 90/. under 10 0 o u 4> rs 9 o o 1 The Metropolis .. 16 27 41 27 14 3 1 2 South Eastern.... U1 140 86 20 2 1 . . South Midland .. 99 97 84 13 8 4 Eastern 118 104 57 9 0 2 i South Western .. 176 124 84 24 5 3 , , West Midland.... 87 103 79 40 13 9 i 1 North Midland .. 73 91 53 16 6 6 1 i North Western .. 16 40 68 39 22 16 6 3 1 2 2 i i York 109 112 83 22 14 6 1 Nortbnm 44 69 39 4 7 2 1 Welsh 37 27 56 24 7 8 3 3 1 Total 915 924 730 237 98 59 11 9 6 3 2 1 1 The section on sudden deaths is one of great value when it is recollected the vast number that annually take place, some of which, their is little doubt, are from unnatural causes; those are registered upon the mere verbal statement of some unprofessional person who was present at the death. The Coroner’s duty used to be to institute an inquiry into eases of this kind, but of late years, it is 'notorious, that in consequence of the over-anxiety of the Magistrates to keep down the rates, few inquests are now held. To obviate the possibility of per- sons losing their lives from other than natural causes, it is proposed that the Eegistrar should issue an order to tlie District lilcdical Officer to enquire into all cases of sudden death, and upon his report give or withold his certificate. II$