°. °, Utt
4 The Bryn, Swansea SNi tu ;CE Punctures puncture' eiY( Sir: I was rather distressed to your advertisement for IBM co11I■1 puters since it was based 1.1P°ini improved acceptance rates vaccinations. There is, of cours'4D no evidence that any vaccinati°,'(.1 has helped to eradicate e,I4 o disease, and if we consineec smallpox as our example we that after many years' compulsvi tl vaccination when the population F this country was in its M0,5 e vaccinated state there was a epidemic of unprecedented magIV t tude and mortality in 1871-1872. 4 t Over 90 per cent of the smallno, " in Western Europe and till! country during the latter half
the last century was in vaccinat,e,, I people; whilst during the last 1
years with a very low acceptanc„ rate for vaccination there has be practically no smallpox in tlil5 country. In Australia where thereo has been practically no vaccinatte. for smallpox the disease has be VectatOr, January 15, 1972 etually absent; whilst in West ngal where the population has
m almost universally vaccinated zl re-vaccinated there is still ,tepant smallpox.
Vhe only effect of discontinuing seallpox vaccination in this counf is that a number of children o would otherwise be killed or eumed for life will now be able to tpw up to be healthy adults. It cems a shame that computers aich have so much value to tne tle man race should be advertised on grounds of assisting a ritual Tiich is open to so much doubt
'".d criticism.
AThe money saved by dis w ntinuing vaccination would be mense. It could be used to prove the standard of living of me people who are bound toqu wiffer ill consequences from disse owing to their depressed i`icio-economic background. M. Nightingale pchnical Adviser, The Vaccination L.ellquirer and Health Review, 2a r aepb non Road, Croydon
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