§ GENERAL RUSSELL (Cheltenham)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether it is the intention of the Government to take any action with reference to the Vaccination Laws this Session?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. HENRY CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordI have carefully considered this question since the Royal Commission reported in September last. The Royal Commission recommended that, amongst other things, a further investigation should be made into the effect of the storage of vaccine lymph in glycerine. I took an early opportunity of instructing Dr. Thorne, the medical officer of the Board, and Dr. Copeman to visit certain foreign cities in order to study and report on the more modern methods adopted abroad as to the preparation, storage, and distribution of glycerinised calf lymph, and to ascertain the results. These officers have visited Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Dresden, and Cologne for the purpose, but their inquiry is not yet completed, and their report, therefore, has not yet been submitted to me. I may say this, however, that on the information before me I have already come to this conclusion—that any alteration of the law will most certainly involve an important and radical change in the matter of lymph supply, and will necessitate consequently a very considerable modification in the system of public vaccination. The hon. Member will see that no time has been lost by the Local Government Board since the report of the Royal Commission was published, and I am quite alive to the importance of this question.