5 SEPTEMBER 1896, Page 15

NATURE'S SCHOOL AT GLOUCESTER.

[To THZ EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1

SIR,—From the article under the above heading, in the Spectator of August 29th, there is an omission of some im- portance. You open the statement of facts by the sentence : Somewhere about 1875 a vigorous anti - vaccination campaign was begun at Gloucester." But in the winter of 1872 73 there had occurred in the city (population 32,222) about four hundred and fifty cases of small-pox, of which fifty-two died. Before the Select Committee of 1871 Dr. Seaton had described Gloucester as excellently vaccinated (Question 5,372). Have we not here an explanation of the ease with which the anti-vaccination propaganda was spread

in Gloucester P—I am, Sir, &c., X.