[back] Book: VACCINATION A DELUSION by ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE (split into chapters)
Sweden. Small-pox and Total Death-Rates, and Stockholm Small-pox Epidemics.
These death-rates have been calculated by myself from the official tables of Small-pox and total deaths, and populations in the Sixth Report, pages 752-3.
The portion relating to Small-pox agrees with Diagram D, p. 129, in the Third Report of the Commission, but comes to a later date. The figures for the Stockholm epidemics are not given in the Reports of the Royal Commission except as regards the last and greatest of them. The others are from the same authority as in my former diagram—Dr. Berg, head of the Statistical Department at Stockholm, who supplied them to Dr. Pierce as stated in his Vital Statistics.
The Upper line, showing the death-rate from all causes, is from the five-year average mortality, and is on a smaller vertical scale (as shown by the figures at the sides) in order to bring it into the same diagram.
[back] CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The next three Graphs, 5., 6., and 7., show small-pox mortality in Sweden, Prussia, and Bavaria— countries which at previous enquiries were adduced as striking examples of the value of vaccination. They all show phenomena of the same character as our own country, but far worse as regards epidemics in the capitals; that of Stockholm, in 1874, causing a death-rate more than 50 per cent. higher than during the worst epidemic of the last century in London! The graph of small-pox and zymotics in Bavaria is given merely because the statistics were brought before the Commission as a proof of the beneficial results of vaccination in well vaccinated communities. It was alleged by Dr. Hopkirk that almost the whole of the population were vaccinated, and admitted by him that of the 30,742 cases of smallpox in 1871 no less than 95.7 per cent. were vaccinated! The epidemic was, however, less severe than in Prussia, again showing the influence of density of population less than one seventh of the Bavarians inhabiting towns of over 20,000, while one-fourth inhabit similar towns in Prussia; but we see that during the latter half of the period chosen small-pox greatly increased, and the other zymotics remained very high, indicating general insanitary conditions. And this case was specially brought before the Commission as a proof of the benefits of vaccination! In their Final Report the Commissioners omit to point out that it really indicates the very reverse.