§ 72. Mr. FREEMANasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to a circular letter sent by the medical officer of health for Bethnal Green to medical practitioners in Bethnal Green, dated 17th March, asking them when notifying cases of chicken-pox to indicate whether the patient has been vaccinated or not; whether his Department has suggested the sending of such a circular; whether a similar circular has been issued by any other medical officer of health; whether he is aware that vaccinated cases of chicken-pox are automatically diagnosed as chicken-pox while unvaccinated cases of chicken-pox may be rediagnosed as small-pox; and whether he will see that cases of small-pox 581 are diagnosed entirely on the symptoms and not on the presence or absence of vaccination marks?
§ Mr. GREENWOODI have seen the circular letter in question and understand that it was issued by the medical officer of health in order to facilitate his inquiries into the prevalence of smallpox in the Borough. My Department have not suggested the issue of such a circular and I have no information of the extent to which other medical officers have taken the same course. The answer to the fourth part of the question is in the negative. As regard the last part, the diagnosis of smallpox, as of other diseases, is a matter for the medical practitioner in attendance and I have no authority to give any directions on the subject.