Mexborough and Swinton Times January 28, 1927
Smallpox Epidemic Still Severe
Mexborough the Storm Centre
Swinton and the anti-vaccinationists
While the smallpox virus holds its own in this district in face of all the onslaughts of the health departments, the propagandist duel between the vaccinationists and the anti-vaccinationists grows keener. The vaccinationists have got in one of their most deadly thrusts at Swinton this week.
A handbill full of facts and figures, issued by the Swinton medical officer (Dr S.O.Hatherley) has been distributed from house-to-house and in the schools, and the hoardings and works of the urban district also been freely posted with bills on the subject.
The handbill and posters mention that the epidemic has already cost Swinton ratepayers over £3000; and that 140 cases of smallpox have occurred in Swinton since January 1926 (the bill is dated 18th of January 1927). Then come the harness facts for the anti-vaccinationists to tackle:
“Of these, 102 had never been vaccinated.”
“The other 38 cases had been vaccinated” – but,
“the period of years since vaccination varied from 7 to 70 years.”
“No person under 15 years of age who has had been vaccinated before being infected had been notified of having smallpox in Swinton during this epidemic.”
The bill concluded a large type appeal to “Get Vaccinated Now,” and information that Dr Aitken, will vaccinate or re-vaccinate anyone in Swinton, Roman Terrace, Kilnhurst, free of charge.
The Council owned public vaccination stations this week at Roman Terrace and Swinton, and a number of people are offering themselves for the operation.
More Cases at Swinton.
Swinton’s list of cases for this month was on Wednesday brought up to 22. In December there were only five. Making is not a report to the Council, Dr Hatherley said the more recent cases all occurred in infected houses where there were a number of children on vaccinated, and they might expect still more cases from those houses. The cases which have occurred since the issue of their leaflets and posters did not cancel out any of the statements made therein. In Swinton still had no person notified with smallpox who had been vaccinated in the last seven years.
It was not much use vaccinating in an infected house, because persons who had the infection would have smallpox, vaccination or no vaccination.
“But there is no doubt in my mind that people will not take the disease if they are vaccinated before infection and within the required period.”
Mr J Kelly asked if the medical officer asked people to be vaccinated when visiting houses in infected areas.
Dr Hatherley said he did not. At one time he tried to persuade them, but he had given it up. “I am afraid I got fed up with their telling me they didn’t believe in it, and so on. I don’t go out of my way to convert them.”
Mr Kelly: Then I may take it the Dr is not taking steps to prevent men working if they do not get vaccinated when a case of smallpox has occurred in their homes?
Dr Hatherley: No I do not do that.
Contacts and Work Question Again
Mr Kelly said he asked the question because that was being done at Mexborough. He knew three Mexborough men employed at the pit where he worked had been stopped in that way. Were those men to get compensation? It was serious.
Dr Hatherley repeated it was little use vaccinating persons who had been exposed to the infection. There were isolated cases where it was advisable to prevent such persons working, with their work was the handling of food, or the delivery of goods from house-to-house, for instance. But the Ministry of Health took the view that no good purpose would be served by such action in other cases. Men prevented from working still meet other people in public places. At the beginning of an epidemic it was a different matter. If the case was discovered in a hitherto clear district, then it would be wise to isolate rigidly all contacts; when the disease is rampant it was very little use trying to stamp it out by those means.
Mr Jagger said it might be in the interests of the community to do it even then, if isolated contact could be made eligible for national Health Insurance benefit.
Dr Hatherley replied that the insurance authorities would not pay. It might be all right in theory, but it opened a very wide door.
For the Children’s Sake
if the anti-vaccinationists would only think of the children and change their views on the matter, he was confident they would soon stamp out smallpox. He remembered there were members of that Council still unvaccinated.
Mr Creighton added that objects are stated there were more deaths from vaccination and from smallpox – that the cure was worse than the disease! He had had a bad arm, but was not ill, in certain preferred it to smallpox.
Seen in the Street
Mr A McLauchlan remarked that it was no wonder the epidemic was not abating. The previous day he met a Mexborough man in the street. He had the disease badly, and his spots were scaling. The speaker told him to “go and get shot.” (Laughter.) He had had the disease for some time and was not under a doctor. In September Swinton was clear of the disease, and he reckon the fresh outbreak in the town originated in Mexborough.
Dr Hatherley, referring to the objections to vaccination, said that in the earlier outbreak the effect of vaccination were much more severe than in the recent one. He had not seen a really bad arm for some time. That might be due to their having a more virulent lymph in the earliest cases. But he had never heard of the death to vaccination, or of any risk of death from it.
Dr Hatherley mentioned it was their third epidemic of smallpox in Swinton. The first occurred in January and February of last year when they had over 20 cases. They had no case from February till April, and then they had 92 during the period to September 17. They were clear to November 3, and all the cases which occurred then were at the lower end of Roman Terrace.
“In those cases I consider the infection undoubtedly came from Mexborough.”
In the most recent outbreak the case occurred almost solely in the Roman Terrace, spreading from the Mexborough end to the upper end.
Sanitation and Smallpox
Mr T Beighton asked if any other outbreak causes contributed to the spread of the disease. Were not the bulk of the cases in thickly populated areas, where the housing conditions were worse?
Dr Hatherley said they naturally expected more cases in overcrowded areas, but his experience was that the occurrence of the disease were indifferent to personnel or to the sanitary conditions of his district. Overcrowding, however, was certainly a factor in the rapid spread of the disease.
Mr Creighton said the Anti-Vaccinations argued that the only preventative of smallpox was better sanitation. He would point out that in Frederick Street, where they had most cases, that spent £1500 on sanitary improvements. He was convinced that vaccination was a preventative.
When the first case occurred at the Kilnhurst Cooperative Stores, prompt vaccination of all contacts preventing a much more serious epidemic in Kilnhurst.
Dr Hatherley said he did not think sanitation had anything to do with it at all.
Insurance for the Vaccinated
Mr Jagger, the instigator of the discussion, said he was satisfied that vaccination was the only preventative, but one serious problem they were up against was the unwillingness of manual workers to lose a fortnight’s wages to the effects of vaccination – which they could get no compensation. They prefer to risk smallpox, where they were sent to hospital with that he did draw insurance benefit.
Mr Creighton stated that the clubs would prefer paying out a man led off with a bad arm for a fortnight than one laid off for several weeks with smallpox.
Mr Wilson said it was, however, a real objection, and there will be much more readiness for vaccination of menu they would get compensation from some source when laid off work through vaccination.
Dr Hatherley said a man doing manual labour would certainly be incapacitated from work by vaccination in the majority of cases. But it was not so much the parents they wanted vaccinating as the children.
Vaccinate the Children!
“If we had all the children in Swinton vaccinated, I am confident the epidemic would fizzle out a short time,” said Dr Hatherley.
In reply to Mr Creighton, Dr Hatherley said he would certainly give a man a certificate if you are incapacitated from work by vaccination.
Closing the discussion, the Chairman said he hoped it would have the effect of “turning a few more in their views.”