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[Extracted from] [1912] LEICESTER: SANITATION versus VACCINATION BY J.T. BIGGS J.P.

CHAPTER  33.  ERYSIPELAS AND VACCINATION;

SOON after my first appearance before the Commission, the subject of erysipelas came up. When it was found I had not prepared any tables on this point, it seemed to be assumed there was something to hide, and I was requested to go into the matter, and prepare a table for the next meeting—a request with which I willingly complied. But the time allowed was too short to enable me to tabulate returns for more than sixteen years—viz., 1874 to 1889. This table was divided into periods of four years each, and has now been continued in the same form to 1909, as follows :—

TABLE 1. See Graph A,.

Being table 2, page 416, Fourth Report, Royal Commission continued to 1909.

Table showing for the BOROUGH OF LEICESTER, for each of the periods 1874-77, 1878-81, 1882-85, 1886-89, 1890-93, 1894-97, 1898-1901, 1902-05, and 1906-09, the average annual death-rate from erysipelas, of children under one year of age per 10,000 births, of children under five years of age per 100,000 living at that age, and at all ages per 100,000 of the population; with the average annual percentage of Vaccinations to births* during each period.

* For the actual number of annual vaccinations, see Table 50.

GRAPH  A.

ILLUSTRAT1NG   TABLE  1.

ERYSIPELAS.      LEICESTER.
IN GROUPS OF FOUR YEARS.  1874—1909.

Lower Solid Curve—Average annual death-rate from Erysipelas under 1 per 10,000 births.
Upper Solid Curve—Average annual death-rate from Erysipelas under 5 per 100,000 living at that age.
Dotted  Curve—Average annual death-rate from Erysipelas at all ages per 100,000 population.
Red Curve—Average annual percentage of registered vaccinations to the total births.

The most striking points in Table 1 are:—

(1)    That the highest death-rates from erysipelas, both under one year,  under five years, and at all ages, are concurrent with the highest years of vaccination ; and

(2)    That each death-rate practically touches its  lowest point coincidentally  with  the  lowest percentage of vaccination.

By no stretch of the imagination, nor by any subterfuge, can these facts be made to tell in favour of vaccination. On the other hand, there is abundant and undeniable evidence that the practice operated most fatally.

Another feature of this table is that a rise in the death-rate from erysipelas, shown in 1898-1905, for infants under one year, is concurrent with an increase of vaccination in the same periods, caused principally by the more rigid pressure of the law, just before, during, and after the passing of the Vaccination Act of 1898. In this year—under an Order of the Local Government Board—stational vaccination was superseded by the domiciliary visits of the Public Vaccinators, whose services were also then remunerated with enormously increased fees. It is, however, satisfactory to notice that the decline in this death-rate of infants is resumed, doubtless to some extent because of the enhanced vitality, and, therefore, increased power of resistance, which children born of unvaccinated parents are enabled to offer to attacks from this disease.

It is suggestive that, after such conclusive proofs condemning vaccination, further evidence on this aspect was not asked for by the Commission. Its introduction, however, involved a reference to, and the embodying of several official reports in the published evidence, which are of such supreme importance that I now make a brief reference to each of them. These reports are published in full at pages 466-494, Fourth Report, Royal Commission.