§ MR. HOPWOODasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether his attention has been called to the cases of five children now suffering severely at Deptford from syphilis communicated by vaccination from one other child; and, whether a public inquiry into these and any other cases in the neighbourhood will be directed?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELLThe Local Government Board have already caused inquiry to be made in this matter. The Board are informed that there is not the smallest reason for saying that these children had syphilis. The facts are that four, not five, children vaccinated with 17 others, from one vaccinifer, got more or less of a common skin disease, known as eczema, afterwards. Each of the four children lived in the state of squalor that most favours the production of eczema. The other 17 children remained well. There appears to the 720 Board to be no ground for any further inquiry.
§ MR. HOPWOODDo I understand that a public inquiry into these cases is refused?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELLThey have been inquired into by an Inspector. I am not aware that there is any reason to doubt the professional opinion.
§ MR. HOPWOODThere is the fact that the public officer of the Board of Guardians certifies that it is syphilis?
§ MR. HOPWOODasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether he is aware of the deaths of two children in Shoreditch, as their parents allege, from vaccination, viz. Charles James Kerridge, aged five months, vaccinated June 27th, became ill with eruptions over his body, and died July 13th; and Florence Edith Howden, vaccinated on 15th April, became ill in a few days with sores and abscesses, from which she never recovered, but died on July 13th; and, whether he will direct a thorough inquiry into these cases?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELLSir, the Board have caused inquiry to be made as to the cases of the two children referred to. Both children died of diarrhœa, and the one ease had nothing whatever to do with the other. The mother of the child Kerridge, the Board are informed, has no idea of attributing the death to vaccination. The child had no eruption. The child Howden was weakly at the customary time of vaccination, and the vaccination was deferred until the child was eight months old. It had some eruption afterwards; but there were no abscesses. Its death was caused by diarrhœa three months later. The medical practitioner who attended it is reported to have said that the lymph had to do with the child's subsequent illness; but he denies that he said anything of the kind. He had a great deal of diarrhœa in his practice at the time. Inquiry was made as to others vaccinated from the same vaccinifers, and no irregularities could be heard of.
§ MR. HOPWOODasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether, in view of the sad casualties alleged to have attended vaccination, he has considered the appeal to him of 721 J. A. Petvin, of the Axbridge Union, again summoned in respect of the non-vaccination of a child born in 1879, in respect of which he was three times summoned in 1882, twice convicted in full penalties and paid three sets of costs; and, whether he will advise the guardians that such repeated persecutions are opposed to the views of the Board expressed in its letter to the Evesham Guardians?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELLA copy of the Evesham letter has been sent to the Guardians of the Axbridge Union.