Chapter I: Preface

This Essay has been written for the purpose of influencing Parliament, and securing the speedy abolition of the unjust, cruel, and pernicious Vaccination laws. For this purpose it has been necessary to speak plainly of the ignorance and incompetence displayed by the Royal Commission, proofs of which I give from their “Final Report” and the evidence they have collected and printed.

I most solemnly urge upon our Legislators that this is a question not only of the _liberties_ of Englishmen, but one affecting the _lives_ of their children, and the _health_ of the whole community; and that they will be individually responsible if they do not inquire into this matter for _themselves_,—not accept the statements or opinions of others.

In order that they may do this with a minimum expenditure of time and labour, I have put before them the _essential facts_, in almost every case taken from the Reports of the Royal Commission or of the Registrar-General, and with references to page, question, or paragraph, so that they can themselves verify every statement I make. I thus abundantly prove, first, that in all previous legislation they have been misled by facts and figures that are untrue and by promises that have been all unfulfilled; and that similar misstatements have characterised the whole official advocacy of Vaccination from the time of Jenner down to this day. I claim, therefore, that all official statements as to Vaccination are _untrustworthy_.

I then show that _all_ the statistics of small-pox mortality, whether of London; of England, Scotland, and Ireland; of the best vaccinated Continental States; of unvaccinated Leicester; or of the revaccinated Army and Navy, without any exception, prove the _absolute inutility of Vaccination_; and I feel confident that every unprejudiced person who will carefully read these few pages, and will verify such of my statements as seem to them most incredible, will be _compelled_ to come to the same conclusion.

I appeal from the medical and official apologists of Vaccination to the intelligence and common sense of my fellow-countrymen, and I urge them to insist upon the immediate abolition of all legislation enforcing or supporting this useless and dangerous operation.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. VACCINATION AND SMALL-POX 5

II. MUCH OF THE EVIDENCE ADDUCED FOR VACCINATION IS WORTHLESS 23

III. THE GENERAL STATISTICS OF SMALL-POX MORTALITY IN RELATION
TO VACCINATION 31

IV. TWO GREAT EXPERIMENTS WHICH ARE CONCLUSIVE AGAINST
VACCINATION 54

V. CRITICAL REMARKS ON THE “FINAL REPORT” 70

VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 80