| Description | The post of Vaccination Officer was initially created following the 1871 Vaccination Amendment Act, which required all Unions to employ such an officer. Aston Union appointed theirs in October of that year, whose job it was 'to see to the execution of the Vaccination Acts with the view of securing the Vaccination of every child and to take such steps as his instructions shall point out for ensuring compliance with the Law and to keep such Registers and other Records of his proceedings as the Local Government Board shall direct' (see GP AS/2/1/17). Initially, the post was filled by the Union's Assistant Clerk - however, a few years later, the position became an entirely separate one. The actual process of vaccination was carried out by the Union's own Public Vaccinators, there originally being one for each district.
The Vaccination Officer's reports contain details of all those children within the Union, and whether or not they have received a vaccination. Each volume begins with a list of children that have not been found, and have therefore not received a vaccination. This is largely due to a family moving away from the area, and in most cases the reason for the child's absence is given, along with the last known address. However, in a small number of cases, the child is listed as having eventually been vaccinated - presumably after the Union had established the family's whereabouts. For these entries, the occupation of the child's father is also given.
Following on from these, the volumes list those children still in the area, their address, the date that the child's birth was registered, and details regarding the child's vaccination. If the child has been vaccinated, the date and name of the Public Vaccinator are given. If, for reasons of illness, the vaccination has been postponed, a later date is given, along with the reference number of the next entry relating to that child. Because vaccinations could be delayed for several months, entries regarding one child can be spread across more than one volume. The volumes are not indexed. |