The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-02-16
IConansln ieated.

MESSRS. EDITORS There seems TO De
much alarm felt here at this time on &C
count of a few cases of what is called the
varioloid disease in our midst. We suppose
this term is applied to those who are suffer-
ing with it, who once have had the small
pox, or the kline pox; we understand it re-
sembles the small pox, though usually in a
milder form. If we recolIect right, writers
say that there are few cases recorded of per-
sons having the smallpox twice. Louis
XIV, King of France, was one who died
from an attack of it the second time but
generally only those, nowadays, are afflict-
ed with the varioloid disease who have had
the cow-pox by vaccination. Probably, in
most instances, those who have been afffict-
ed with the varioloid have been cases where
the patients have been yaccinated with i'm
pure matter
That the discovery Of the remedy of
vaccination as an antidote to that terrible
disease, the smallpox, in q few years after
its use, almost expelled the latter disease
from the world, is fact well established.
We cannot better show this than by a quo
tation from an article in a foreign work
called "Once Week "a work at present,
much esteemed by the public. The article
was written by Ingleby Scott, who, we be-
lieve, as literary and scientific man sus-
tanned a good reputation. 1t is upon the
character and services to the world : of
Doctor Edward Jenner
The highest courage also, was required
to try the first express experiment of vac
cination. 1t took place on a day, the ami
versary of which was held as festival at
Berlin and elsewh here, not long ago, and
may be still for aught I know. On the
l4th of May, 1896, Jenner vaccinated boy
by the name of Phipps, eight years old,
from the hand of dairy woman who had
the true peck; the boy went well through
the experiment, was innoculated for the
smallpox in July, and failed to take it.
From this time forward, it was the custom
to make the 14th of May day of rejoicing
in Prussia and elsewhere, and to publish the
annual results of vaccination. For many
yearsthe vaccination exceeded births, showing
the people were aware of their danger, while
any remained unsecured In Prussia the
deaths from smallpox had averaged 10000
annually before vaccination, and within 20
years they had sunk to 5000, though there
had been large accession of new territory.
Sweden, Denmark, and some territories in
Germany, remained absolutely tree from
smallpox for twenty years after the prac-
tice of vaccination had been properly in
troduced. A sudden change from the few
preceding years when 600, 900 persons died
annually of the small -pOx in the world at
large, aud $1,000 in Europe and when
every quarter of century saw twenty-five
millions of human beings carried off by the
fonlest of distempers p
The above quotation is enough to show
that when the pure matter of kine-pox is
properly administered, it is almost a COM
pete remedy against smallpox.
Mr. Jenner died in 1928; of course, while
living, be was consulted as to the best man
ner of obtaining the pure matter, and the
most skilful mode of administering it. 1t
| often happened that matter taken from dali
ry women, supposed TO have the cow-pox
failed, because, at the time it was taken,
they were not afflicted with that disease,
but some other. We suspect thatin most
cases where persons have the varioloid dis
ease, who are supposed to have had the kline
pox, they have never been vaccinated with
the pure article.
Is it not time that some attention was
paid to this subject? The object of our
writing this article, Messrs. Editors, is, that
through yon, the attention of our Legisla-
ture, now in session, may be drawn to this
matter. In our opinion there ought to be
a law, that the Governor should appoint
some persona skillful physician, of course
in every county in the State, whose duty
it shOnld be to obtain the pure kline matter
and vaccinate with it as many persons in
the county as would suffer him to do it.
1t would be proper that for his services he
should be paid literally. JENNER.