The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-05-15 00:00:00

THE SMALLPDX.

At present, when the eye of the public is turned of necessity
'to a disease a hich is passing epidemically over the country, it
ought to he directed into the proper field of vision, in order that
apparent failures may,ncit induce erroneous impressions—im-
pressions prejudicial to the health of the community at large.
When Joiner at first. made known to the world that discovery
which immortalised his name, it was received with doubts and
discredit, but soon they passed off by a conviction of its utility.
Previous to 1796, (the beginning of the vaccine era,) the aver-
age number of deaths in London from small-pox amounted an-
nually to 2,you, and throughout England to ,15,000. In the year
the deaths from this disease in London alone, were 3,549.
Limy year after the introduction of vaccination, the number_of
deaths from small-pox was fast diminishing; because fewer took
the. disease,
,auchn those who had been vaccinated it assumed a.
miltter,forto, seldom; if ever, proving fatal. Government ovate
time considered this boon to society so great that they. awarded
£30,9(X) to the discoverer of vaccination. Now, however, the
'meitality from small-pox being on the increase, the faith of the
public in the antidote is greatly shaken. But should it be so?
If Mothers have got careless rep. vaccination, and rather
than have the trouble of taking their,children to those where it
is performed,. or be at the expense of having a surgeon to do it,
allow their children to run the now I'llloll chance of taking the
natural disease, then it is the consequence of their folly that
there is' a" reintreduCtinn into the coubtry of epidemic small-(sox
attended by tin' immense Mortality. Ito'', it is said; Many who
haVebeera vaecitiat'd take the disease, and'iometithes die of it.
This is seltlona the case, and in some fatal cases hOW &We know
that' vaccination vl:ds properly,perfornied--WaS there no other
eruPtive disease-on the child at the time ?.---tv'ai the matter used
taken fettn the vaceine vesicle at the propel' period? Had it
not been kept too' lung, and' catisquetitlV deconinoSed ? But
even` supposing, that did iii a le"*. • i tiii aces appear
after getinine vartination, does not etre saiite- (Mail; itnifeliriteS
occur after innoculation with various Mattel', nay, even after
• natural small-pox taken in a natural way ? This arises front a
. peculiarity in constitution; and whilst it may happen at the
time! the great bulk of those vaccinated escape altogether,. or
•should they,. by a long contact,.with the variolus matter, take
the disease, it assumes so modified a character as almost to pass
into simple chiekeo-pos, a disease readily combated. It is a
matter of doubt whether or not the vaccine matter may lose its
prophelactic power by the, advance of years; i. e. whether re-vac.
tination is necessary. That it does is a popular idea, and has
as much in its favour aft it has the Jennerian favour against it.
But since vaccination is so simple a .process, and is so readily
effectedtevery one at the age of puberty, when great changes
take place in the animal economy, ought to get it re-performed:
If more needed to be said on the subject, it would only be ne-
cessary to recall to memory the frightful; defaced, anti disfigured
victims of small-pox; an everyday spectacle some thirty years
ago,. but, happily, known to the present generation only by
tradition. If, then, the national desire he to retain its national
beautyi,let every mother be eager for the vaccination of her
child; let every young lady reap the advantages, of the remedy,
and hasten to get re-vaccinated, in order that ske may keep
that nature has so lavishly best' red upon her sex; and Ftt both
mothers amid 11aughters use r.ll their persuasive eloquence to
try eremite the ill-founded prejudices of the peasantry, which, if
they do, we need never again tear the prevalence of that once
dreadful scourge, small-pox.—York Courant.