§ 39. Major HARVEYasked the Minister of Health, seeing that the London County Council has a medical officer in attendance at the new County Hall for the purpose of vaccinating any of the members who desire to be so treated, whether he will, in view of the increasing prevalence of small-pox in this country, consider the advisability of recommending the adoption of a similar practice in this House as a precautionary measure?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe answer is in the negative. Hon. Members who desire to be vaccinated should consult their own medical advisers or apply to the public vaccinators of the districts in which they reside.
40. Mr. T. THOMSONasked the Minister of Health if any information is available to show whether there has been any increase or decrease in the number of cases of small-pox and in the number of deaths from small-pox per 1,000 of the population in the last quinquennial period as compared with 50 years ago?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINNo figures are available to enable a comparison to be made between the number of cases of small-pox in the last quinquennial period and in the period 1868–1872. The number of deaths from small-pox in the quinquennium 1868–72 was 48,107, whilst in 1918–22 it was 92, giving a rate per 1,000 of the population in those two periods as follows:
1868–72 .4274 1918–22 .0005
Mr. THOMSONWhat is the right hon. Gentleman's authority for the statement which he made the other day, that there had been an increase of small-pox, with the reduction in vaccination?
§ 53. Mr. LEACHasked the Minister of Health the percentage of births vaccinated in the period 1872 to 1881 and the number of deaths from small-pox registered during that period with the small-pox death rate per million living, and the same figures for the period of 1912 to 1921?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe particulars asked for by the hon. Member are contained in the answer given on the 16th instant to the hon. Member for South Poplar (Mr. March), except that the small-pox death rate given in that answer is the rate per 100,000 population. The rate per million living can of course be obtained by multiplying the rate given in the previous answer by 10.
§ Mr. LEACHWould not these figures prove that extra measures of sanitation are much more important than vaccination as a protection against small-pox?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is a matter of opinion.
§ 55. Mr. SNOWDENasked the Minister of Health how many deaths from small-pox occurred in the years from 1872 to 1889; what was the percentage of children vaccinated during these years; how many deaths from small-pox have occurred in the last three years; and what percentage of children have been vaccinated?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe figures asked for by the hon. Member are contained in the answer given on the 16th instant to the hon. Member for South Poplar (Mr. March), and are printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ 56. Mr. FLANAGANasked the Minister of Health if, in view of the prevalence and great increase in the number of cases of small-pox, he will consider the advisability of supplying Government calf lymph to all private qualified medical practitioners who apply for it, as the material they now have to use may not be up to the recognised Government standard?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThis matter has been considered from time to time, but as at present advised, I doubt whether it is practicable to take action in the direction indicated.