THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882. THE VACCINATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2443, 3 February 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1882. THE VACCINATION OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.

The correspondence between Dr. Nedwill and the Government respecting the vaccination of children attending our public schools will be found in another column. The first thing that will strike the reader of it will be that the Public Yaccinator has not been well backed np, and that it is no wonder that he has sent in his resignation. The position in brief appears to ns to bo much as follows; The Registrar- General wrote in September last saying that it was the wish of the Government that Dr. Nod will should take the necessary steps to vaccinate those children attending the public schools who had not been previously vaccinated, and that for that object he should put himself into communication with the school committees in the district. Dr. Nedwill does as he is requested, but finds that some of the committees put serious difficulties in his way. The Government thereupon declares that it is very sorry that it has no power in the matter, and says that the will of the school committees must bo deferred to. Not to put too fine a point upon the transaction, the Government makes a cat’spaw of the Public Yaccinator by getting him to feel the pulse of the Local Committees in the matter of the vaccination of the school children, and, when these bodies are found unfavorable or lukewarm, it quietly leaves its officer to take care of himself. Surely the Government should have made certain of its powers before referring the matter at all to the Public Yaccinator. Or it might have ascertained for itself the feeling of Local Committees on the subject. Or, thirdly, even if legal means of compulsion were absent, it might have intimated strongly to Local Committees its desire that the 16dih clause of tho Health Act should no longer remain a dead letter. Having committed the Public Yaccinator to a line of action, this last mode of support might at least have been expected of the Government. Wavering committees might surely have been brought over to see the necessity of some action being taken if they had received a notice from the Government pointing out in strong terms the necessity of the vaccination of children, and parents would certainly think much of the recommendation of the members of their committee backed up by one from Government. At all events the Government would then have done its best for the Public Vaccinator whoa he was endeavouring to carry out its instructions, instead of leaving him in the lurch. Wo are not touching upon the point as to whether the Government has or has not in its power indirect means of forcing Local Committees to see to the vaccination of the school children; we are merely going on the supposition that, legally, it is powerless in the matter.

Dr. Nedwill gives one sample of the objections raised by Local Committees to his carrying ont the instructions of the Government. The Rev. H. B. Cocks, Chairman of the Sydenham School Committee, writes forwarding the views of his committee. “ The committee believe,” ho says, “ that they have no power to compel stripping the children for purposes of inspection, or vaccination of the children against the will of the parents.” Now if the committee had specially wished to frighten nervous parents, it could not possibly have used more effective language. To talk of “ stripping

children for purposes of vaccination, anc inspection” is absolute nonsense. A baring of the arm to the shoulder is al that is required. In using the languagi it did the committee either showed i singular want of tact, or was purposel} exaggerating the situation. It might well have thought of the effect such ar expression would have on the minds ol many ignorant parents, who would immediately conjure up a picture of their tender offspring being placed in the most undesirable dilemma. Then, again, the chairman of the committee declares that the head-master “ requests him to point out that the present time is inopportune, aa the children are shortly expecting their annual inspection.” The Rev. H. B. Cocks, along with the head master, appears to think that, in the case of small pox finding a foothold on these shores, it would never think of attacking the pupils of tho Sydenham school until the annual inspection was completed ! .For the head master to hold such an opinion is not perhaps surprising, because he naturally would bo somewhat wrapt up in his endeavors to pass his school creditably; but for the Rev. H. B. Cocks to imagine a horrible disease would be so amazingly polite does indeed appear rather curious. An outsider would have thought that the most simple way out of the difficulty •would have been to have negotiated with the School Inspector. And, finally, the Chairman of the Sydenham School Com- • mittee tells the Public Vaccinator that great caution will have to be used in the matter of vaccination, "as some weeks ago, on a false rumor of a visit from the Vaccinator, a large number of children

absented themselves by direction of their parents.” The meaning of this sentence is a good deal involved. On the face of it, it would appear as if the Rev. H. 18. Cocks was warning Dr. Nedwill that if he did not stalk the children with the utmost care he would never catch them and vaccinate them, because soma weeks -ago, at the mere rumor of his approach, the game fled incontinently. This is evidently not meant, because the committee do not sympathise with the IPublic Vaccinator. We rather fancy that the committee mean to throw out a hint that a certain number of parents object to their children being vaccinated, and that consequently the Public Vaccinator must not be rash. The committee, in fact, identifies itself more or less with the individuals of the anti-vaccination sect. It does not care to see the 164th danse of the Health Act brought into force, because certain residents in Sydenham choose to shat their eyes to the united testimony of experience that vaccination is one of the greatest boons that medical science has yet discovered. Now, if the above is a fair specimen of the letters which Dr. Nedwill has received on the subject of the vaccination of the children in our public schools, all we can say is, that wo think he is perfectly justified in telling the Colonial Secretary that “ the answers received from some of the committees put serious difficulties in the way of carrying out my purpose of examining all children attending the public schools to see whether they had been vaccinated.” We trust that the 'Government will take the matter up seriously. Legislation in England compels parents to have their children vaccinated, and fines or imprisons them if they neglect this their manifest duty. The Government here says it has no ■power in the matter. If this is correct, pending their acquisition of the necessary authority, they might surely use their influence ts promote what they declare they are anxious to see done. In their official dealings with the Health Officer they have been most dilatory and lukawarm.