Vaccination Acts

The UK Vaccination Acts of 1840, 1853, 1867 and 1898 were a series of legislative Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom regarding the vaccination policy of the country.

In general, the disadvantages of variolation are the same as those of vaccination, but added to them is the general agreement that variolation was always more dangerous than vaccination.

Vaccination was first made compulsory in 1853, and the provisions were made more stringent in 1867, 1871, and 1874.

By the Act it was required:

The Vaccination Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 84) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It consolidated and updated the existing laws relating to vaccination, and was repealed by the National Health Service Act 1946.

The poor-law guardians were to control vaccination districts formed out of the parishes, and pay vaccinators from 1s to 3s per child vaccinated in the district (the amount paid varied with how far they had to travel).

Within seven days of the birth of a child being registered, the registrar was to deliver a notice of vaccination; if the child was not presented to be vaccinated within three months, or brought for inspection afterwards, the parents or guardians were liable to a summary conviction and fine of 20s.

The Act also provided that any person who produced or attempted to inoculate another with smallpox could be imprisoned for a month.

In 1871 another Act was passed appointing a Vaccination Officer, also authorising a defendant to appear in a court of law by any member of his family, or any other person authorised by him. This act also confirmed the principal of compulsion, which evidently sparked hostility and opposition to the practice.

Made vaccination compulsory. Records of the reasoning for this are not widely available. However it is apparent that soon after this there was considerable resistance to the compulsion, and this grew.

issued 6 Reports between 1892 and 1896. Its recommendations, including the abolition of cumulative penalties and the use of safer vaccine were incorporated into the 1898 Vaccination Act.[1]

In 1898 a new vaccination law was passed, in some respects modifying, but not superseding, previous Acts, giving conditional exemption of conscientious objectors, (and substituting calf lymph for humanised lymph). It removed cumulative penalties and introduced a conscience clause, allowing parents who did not believe vaccination was efficacious or safe to obtain a certificate of exemption.

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