§ Mr. SUMMERBELLasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the inoculation of calves with variolous matter, or with matter impregnated with small-pox, or with matter whose 1312W origin was small-pox, produces variolous disease in the calves inoculated with it; and, if not, what is the disease which is produced in the calves so inoculated?
§ Mr. BURNSPerhaps I may be allowed to answer this question. My hon. Friend will find the subject to which it relates fully discussed in paragraphs 352 to 362 of the Final Report of the Royal Commission on Vaccination. I may state briefly that, whilst the Commission of the Society of Medical Sciences at Lyons, who fully investigated the matter in 1865, failed to transform human small-pox into cow-pox by inoculating cattle, other experimenters have succeeded in so doing, but that the eruption produced was entirely local in its character and was incapable of producing small-pox in human beings.
§ Mr. SUMMERBELLasked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will issue an order to boards of guardians and public vaccinators giving practical effect to Section 32 of the Vaccination Act, 1867, in view of the fact that the lymph now in use for vaccination has probably a variolous origin?
§ Mr. BURNSI am not aware that any Order is required, or indeed could be issued, to give effect to Section 32 of the Vaccination Act, 1867. As I pointed out on 28th September, in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for the Attercliffe Division, the Section renders it an offence to produce or attempt to produce small-pox in any person by inoculation with variolous matter or by any other means. Most of the lymph used in cases of primary vaccination is that supplied from the Government Lymph Establishment. That lymph does not produce, and is not used to produce, small-pox, and persons using it do not come within the Section. There is no reason to doubt that the same observations apply to other lymph in use in this country.