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286
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pub lic vaccinators.
Hall's influence on the two decisions \'las obvious .
turn , was guided by the Presidential Address to the Epidemiological
Society on November 5, 1860 , given by Dr B.G. Babington ho said:
He, in
The perfect performance of vaccination is a point to which
too much attention cannot be given, but to \'lhich, it is to
be feared, too little has hitherto been paid. One cannot
but ·rejoice that by recent regulations , no one who was not
qualified as a medical practitioner previous to the issue of
them, \'lill be allowed in future to take upon hims elf the office
of public vaccinator without having attended for instruction
or examination in the vaccinating stations designated for the
purpose by the National Vaccine estab lishment , and that pub lic
vaccinators are now required to vaccinate according to definite
instructions which have been issued under po\.,rers conferred by
Act of Parliament on the Lords of the Council .... 10
On September 12, the day after the Parliamentary decision, Hal l, in
accordance with this expression of medical and scientific opinion ,
explained the situation to the Public:
to have permitted Crowther 's
students to continue vaccinating at the Hospital would not have been in
'
accordance \'lith the authorized "Instructions to Pub lic Vaccinators" which
was a document dra\m up by J. Simon, Medical Officer to the Privy Council,
and issued by Lord Salisbury, President of the Council, under the provisions
of the English Health Act of 1858, and later pub lished in the Lancet on
March 26 , 1859.
Hall insisted that these instructions \'/ere called for in
consequence of the negligent and imperfect manner in \'lhich even medical
men \'lho were legally qualified to practise, performed vaccinations , or by
devolving them upon their pupils ; the manual operation \'las easy enough ,
but the judgment necessary to know from whom and to whom the disease
should be propogated required special study and extensive experience;
he , therefore , published the "Instructions" for the general enlightenment
of the community. ll
On October 29, 1863 , at a meeting of the Executive Counci 1,
t\.,renty medical practitioners in various districts of the island \'/ere given
temporary appointments as vaccinators .
Hall was appointed to the district
of Hobarton and made Superintendent of Vaccination at a salary of £150 per
year;
Maddox in Launceston received £125 , Coverdale in Richmond £100 , and
country vaccinators £50 each, some being responsib le for several areas ,
1 0
11
Transactions of the . Epidemiologi ca l _Societ y , Vol . 1, p. 141.
Mercury. Sept. 17, 1863.