CIRCULARS. much lymph as will suffice for one vaccination at least should be taken, and as much as will occupy half the length of the tube may be taken. Immediately, before laying the tube down, he must now, holding it in his right hand, and turning the charged end of it upwards, bring the charge to the middle of the tube by lightly striking the hand on the wrist of the other hand, or on the table. The tube may now be laid down for four or five minutes, not longer, while others are being charged. The sealing of the tube is a very simple process, to be performed as follows:-The extremity of the tube by which the lymph entered is to be applied to the flame of the candle. The glass will immediately melt and close this end of the tube hermetically. In sealing the second end an additional precaution is required. Let the tube be passed quickly into the flame for about half an inch, and quickly withdrawn, and the end of it then held, as in the former case, at the flame till the melting of the glass and sealing are effected. If this precaution be not taken there is risk that the air included between this extremity of the tube and the lymph, being expanded by the heat, will force the soft glass into a bulb which will either burst on the instant, or be so extremely thin that the slightest accidental force will afterwards break it. The charged tubes may be preserved in slips of paper with slits for securing them, on which the date of taking the lymph, the name of the infant from which it was taken, &c., may be noted. DIRECTIONS for using the charged Tube. In using the charged tube for vaccination, the sealed ends of the tube are to be gently broken off, one end placed close to a piece of glass and the lymph blown out upon it. No. 14.-VACCINATION REGISTERS-EXTRACT from The Commissioners for administering the Laws for Relief of the Poor in Ireland have received several communications from Dispensary Medical Officers, requesting to be informed whether cases of vaccination of persons born before the 1st January, 1864, are to be registered in the old Form of Vaccination Register, or whether all cases of vaccination--whether the person vaccinated was born before or after that date-are to be en tered in the new Register furnished by the Registrar-General, under the provisions of the Compulsory Vaccination Act. The Commissioners think there is no doubt CIRCULARS. that the provisions of the Vaccination Act of last Session are limited to the cases of persons born after the 1st January, 1864; and that therefore the Register of Vaccination, which is to be kept by the Registrars of births and deaths, under that Act, cannot properly comprise any cases but those of persons born after the date mentioned. At the same time it is to be observed, that, under the existing Regulations, it is the duty of the Dispensary Medical Officer to register all cases of vaccination performed by him in that capacity in the Register, Form H, prescribed by the Dispensary Regulations of the 16th December, 1853, whether they are cases to be registered in the new Form or not; and that it is also his duty to make the report of all cases vaccinated by him in that capacity which is required by the 3rd sec. of the Act 21 & 22 Vic. c. 64. This would involve the registering of a large number of cases twice over, and would cause unnecessary trouble to the Medical Officer; and in order to obviate this, the Commissioners have issued an Order, of which a copy is enclosed, altering the form of Vaccination Register prescribed by the Dispensary Regulations, and also the Form of Vaccination Report, by making both those Forms correspond as nearly as possible to that issued by the Registrar-General, and dispensing with the registry by the Medical Officer of any cases which he may have registered in his capacity as Registrar of births and deaths in the Register Book furnished by the Registrar-General. Of course, where the Medical Officer is not the Registrar of births and deaths, it will be necessary for him to register all cases of vaccination performed by him in the capacity of Dispensary Medical Officer, notwithstanding the fact that they may be also registered by the Registrar of births and deaths. These forms are now comprised in the General Dispensary Regulations of 29th November, 1869, the latter (Vaccination Report) having been considerably modified (see Form G, p. 898, and Form H, p. 899). CIRCULARS. No. 15.-VACCINATION - PROCEEDINGS to be taken in case of Neglect to have Children Vaccinated.-CIRCULAR to BOARDS of GUARDIANS, 7th March, 1865. Poor Law Commission Office, Dublin, 7th March, 1865. SIR, The Commissioners for administering the Laws for Relief of the Poor in Ireland desire to state that several cases have been brought under their notice, in which parents, although duly informed of the requirements of the Compulsory Vaccination Act (26 & 27 Vic. c. 52), have neglected to take their children for vaccination within the time prescribed. The subject is one of so much general importance that the Commissioners think it right to bring it under the special consideration of the Board of Guardians. By the 1st section of the Act the parents of every child born after the 1st January, 1864, or the persons having the care and nurture of such child, are bound, as soon as practicable, and within six months after the birth, to take the child to the Medical Officer of the dispensary district for vaccination, unless it shall have been previously vaccinated by some duly qualified medical practitioner and the vaccination duly certified; and by the 2nd section they are required to take the child again, on the eighth day following the day on which it has been vaccinated, to the Medical Officer by whom the operation has been performed, in order that he may ascertain, by inspection, the result of the operation. In order to facilitate and insure this being done, the 8th section of the Act requires the Registrar of births and deaths, on the registration of the birth of any child who shall not have been certified to him as having been vaccinated, to give a notice in writing to the parents or other persons having the care and nurture of the child, of their duty in this respect, and also a notice of the days, hours, and places, at which the Dispensary Medi cal Officer of the district will attend for the pur- CIRCULARS. pose of vaccination; and the same section provides for the imposition of a penalty, not exceeding ten shillings, on the parents or other persons responsible, in the event of neglect to cause the child to be vaccinated or to cause it to be taken for inspection on the eighth day after the vaccination. The Commissioners think it is the duty of the Board of Guardians to see that these provisions are duly and effectively carried out, and that proceedings should therefore be taken in every case of wilful neglect; and, with that view, the Commissioners suggest that the Guardians should call upon each Dispensary Officer acting as Registrar of births and deaths, to furnish them from time to time with the particulars of any cases in which, by a comparison of the Register of Vaccination, which he is required by the 7th section of the Act to keep, with the Register of Births, any such neglect shall appear; and the Guardians should thereupon direct the necessary proceedings to be instituted (which they are authorized to do by the 13th section of the Act), either by the Clerk of the union or the Relieving Officer of the district, as may be deemed most expedient. By order of the Commissioners, To the Clerk of each Union. No. 16.-RETURNS of DEFAULTERS under the COMPULSORY VACCINATION ACT (Form P), where the Dispensary Medical Officer is not the Registrar of Births.-CIRCULAR to IN SPECTORS. SIR, Poor Law Commission Office, Dublin, The Commissioners for administering the a By the General Dispensary Regulations of 29th November, 1869, this is now required to be done half-yearly, without any requisition from the Board of Guardians (see Art. 21, xi., p. 885). CIRCULARS. acquaint you that their attention has been drawn to a supposed difficulty in the preparation of the Medical Officer's report (Form P) of children over six months of age who do not appear to have been vaccinated, in those cases in which the Dispensary Medical Officer is not the Registrar of births and deaths, and in which consequently the Register of Births is not in his custody. The Commissioners have had a correspondence with the Registrar-General on this subject, and at their suggestion he has issued a circular to those Registrars of births who are not Dispensary Medical Officers, requesting them to permit the Medical Officer of the dispensary district to inspect their Registers of Births and Deaths in the months of June and December in each year, or at such other time during office hours as he may apply for permission to do so, in order that the names and addresses of parties whose children have not been vaccinated may be ascertained. A copy of the circular referred to is enclosed. By order of the Commissioners, B. BANKS, Chief Clerk. To each Inspector. ENCLOSURE in No. 16. COMPULSORY VACCINATION. General Register Office, SIR,-In consequence of communications addressed to me by the Poor Law Commissioners with a view to the more effectual carrying out of the provisions of the Compulsory Vaccination Act, I have to request that you will in future permit the Medical Officer of the dispensary district to inspect your Registers of Births and Deaths in the months of June and December in each year, or at such other time during office hours as he may apply to you for permission to do so, in order that the names and addresses of parties whose children have not been vaccinated may be ascertained. I am, sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM DONNELLY, Registrar-General. The Registrar of Births and Deaths at |