Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1846-01-29

slclans and the People, upon Small FOX ana
Vaccination, from the pen of Dr. GIDEON b.
SMITH, may prove of interest to our readers:
1st. Vaccine matter should always be Sc
lected, and none taken except from perfect
ly healthy subjects.
I'd. The longer the pustule continues al
ter vaccination the more perfect the protec-
ton will be, and the better will be the mat
ter to vaccinate others with. l~
Sd. As general rule, would take no
matter from any subject, 10 vaccinate others
with, that had not passed at least fifteen
days from the time Of vaccination; Ishould
never take matter from any patient that had
broken the pustule, by scratching or any
other means; nor if local inflammation had
been caused by taking cold or otherwise.
4th. The patient should be examined on
the fourth day after vaccination. If there
be any doubt as to its having taken effect,
he should be vaccinated in the other arm.
The patient should be examined also on
the eighth or ninth day If there be no
fever, or other constitutional symptoms,
such as soreness Of the axillary glands, SC.
he should be vaccinated in the other arm.
lie should be seen again on the 18th day.
If the pustule shall have become dry, and
crust perfect, it should then be taken off, if
it can be, if not, another examination on
the 18th or 18th day will be necessary.
9th. If the pustule dries up, forming a
scab, before the 18th day, should consider
1t imperfect, and vaccinate the patient again.
! Because in many cases the vaccine disease
is mere local affection-and when it is so
it can Of course afford no protection against
small pox. This local character is readily
seen in the absence of fever on the eighth
or ninth day, absence of soreness in the
axlllary glands, and in the short duration
of the pustule.
9th. recommend re-vaccinaton in all
cases in which there is any doubt of its
!, previous efficiency. In such cases never
depend upon the appearance Of the scar,
nor the memory Of the patient as to the
soreness of the arm, sc. nor upon any
: other testimony than that Of the Physician
: who vaccinated the patient the first time.
If this be not satisfactory, according to the
above rules, re-vaccinate.
r ] have never seen a person that / kneaD
had been perfectly vaccinated, take either
vaccination a second time, or varioioid, or
small pox.
The scar is not to be depended upon. 1t
can only inform us that vaccination had
y been attempted-the pustule may have been
scratched, or opened in some Other way;
: a common sore may have left the scar.--
), Non-medical people are not good judges as
to the perfection of vaccination. have in
numerous instances produced the perfect
: vaccine disease in persons that showed
good scars, and who said they had been
we'll vaccinated, that their arms were ''very
Sore," SC.
was vaccinated in the fall of 1918. |
have repeatedly, even an hundred times,
vaccinated myself since; last fell, (1S45,)
H particularly, vaccinated myself ten times
but it did not, in any one instance, take
effect. When the small pox was so preya-
lent in the years 1922, 1923 and 1924, I
was constantly amongst it, often having an
hundred or more patients at time among
the poor. never had the slightest symp-
tom of the disease.
believe the present prevalence of small
pox to be owing to inattentlon to patients
after the insertion Of the virus The COM
mon price for vaccination ($1) is mere
nominal afair-it does not pay physician
for even three, to say nothing of four visits.
Hence it is often the case that the Physician
inserts the matter in the arm, and never sees
the patient afterwards. The mere fact Of
the operation satisfies the patient and his
friends. 1t may not have taken effect at all;
it may have taken, but some accident has
destroyed its effect upon the constitution.
And hence this great preventive of one of
the most terrible scourages of the world is
brought into dsrepute. do not believe
that the preventive effects of perfect vacci-
nation ever wear out" My own expert
ence is upwards of 81 years. From 1919
to 1922, inclusive. vaccinated upwards of
$4,000 persons. | have seen great numbers
of them since, time and again, but have ne
vel found one that had taken varioloid or
5 small pox. But have always been partlc-
+ ular in the selection Of matter to Taccinate
with prefer that which has been on the
arm full fifteen, and from that up to IL, Is,
or even 20 DAYS; and that from full-gro'cn
e persons, arhen possible; robust and healthy
| patients always; rejecting that from all
others. never take matter from doubtful
sources.
| feel very certain that, if these hints
could be taken and acted upon by all our
t physicians and the people, the small pox
t would be completely extirpated in month.
| offer them with much difidence, and GER
tainly with due Difference to the faculty.