HC Deb 08 April 1902 vol 105 cc1256-7
MR. CORRIE GRANT (Warwickshire; Rugby)

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has observed in the weekly Returns of the Registrar General that an infant, born on the hospital ship "Atlas" on 1st March, was vaccinated on that day and died of smallpox on the 12th, and that many other similar cases occur in the Returns; whether, in view of these results, he will consider whether the vaccination of such children after infection should be abandoned; and, as in several cases of death from smallpox after vaccination the dates of vaccination are omitted, and the words "Vaccinated during the incubation period" or "Vaccinated only after infection" are employed, whether he will direct the hospital authorities to supply exact particulars to the Registrar General, so as to obtain uniformity in these statistics.

MR. WALTER LONG

As regards the first paragraph, the answer is in the affirmative. With respect to the second, I could not undertake to recommend the course suggested. As to the third paragraph, I have communicated with the Registrar General, who states that it is impossible to obtain uniformity in all cases, and that under the circumstances he considers that the terms employed are the best that can be devised.