Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-03-04
Small Pox.

This loathsome disease ,"reYalls In Penn-
sylvania to a considerable extent o. tho
present timc-hundreds Of deaths having
occurred therefrom. The public safety,
therefore, demands the prompt adoption
of sanitary measures with view to arrest
the spread Of the disease and prevent its
assuming an epidemic form. The people
should at onco take action in the maitar'
Though the disease itself is, unrcrtun-
ately, too familiar, by name at least there
is yet general ignorance about its origin
and nature. LIS medical name is rariola,
derived from the latin rGrtS, q blotch or
pimple, while the popular affx "pox' is
the Saxton fer a bag pouch-so that small
pox literally means small bag
The disease is believed to have first ap-
peared in Arabia in A. D., sos, about the
timo of the birth of Mohammed and on
Abyssnian army which afterwards be-
sieged Mecca was obliged to raise the siege
in consequence of its ravages. Arabian
PHI ysioians Of the tenth century wrote about
the disease, and various writer's discussed
it during the following centuries, though
Boerhavo was necessary to its propaga-
ton.
After victim once catches the small.
pox period usually of about fourteen
days elapscs before it maufests itself by
tho military fever, and in the meantime the
individual is in his ordinary health. Pains
in the back, nausea and vomiting arc
symptoms and on the third day Of the
fever the eruption begins 10 show itself,
and in two days is complete, no new sspots
appearing but those which have already
appeared suffer various changes in matter
and hue. On the eighth day of the crup-
tion dark spot makes its appearance in
the centre OF the pustule, which dries up
and is converted into scab aud these
scabs falling OF leave on the lace and body
those pisted dcpressions which often re-
main for life timo.
The small pox is justly tor-s'a "loath-
some diseaae." E",iues its unpleasant
features lust alluded 10, it is accompanied
by an offensive odor, mortfying to the
patient and excessively disagrccablo to
tbese who may attend him. The small
pox is, however, not lingering disease,
its second week usually proving fatal,
while it seldom lasts ov3- three weeks
The average mortality Of small pox' how
ever, is not SO great as is generally sup
posed, being about thirty Per cent. of all
who are attacked.
In ancient times the smallpox was In
decd pcstilence 10 be feared but now,
thanks to modern science, its ravages arc
greatly reduced, and did people use prud-
ence it would bo practically extinct
Thanks to the blessed discovery Of vacci-
nation no man, woman or child need
have the smallpox. DR.. Edward Jenyer
to whom tho people of England erected
a statue now standing in Trafalgar Square,
London-frst practiced this in 1893
Vaccination is giving person q triaing
temporary disease to save him from dan
gerous one--giving him the cow.noz to
save him from the smallpox. Tho virus
taken from COW is placed in contact with
the denudeG dirmis or true skin Of the
patient and this reached by scratching
tho arm with lancet. An uneasy sense.
ton, dull sickness, is felt for day or
two, and that is all, aud for six or seven
years the patient is insured against small
pox.
The matter OF small poZ imprcgnates
the air Immediately around the person or
bedding of the patent; and any unvac'
cinated individual or ono who has net had
the small pox, who comes within ten feet
of such person or the bedding, is very sure
to be attacked with small pox, and have
the pimples to appear within a fortnight
In some cases vaccination wears out and
ceases to be q protection against small
pox, and exposure to it gives varioloid.-
The longer person remains from small
pox after vaccination, the more severe the
attack will bo il it is taken at all, Many
vascinated in infancy are most likely tc
have varioloid between the ages of six
teen and twenty-five. This being so, {
most important practical inference is tC
be drawn, that the occurrence o! puberty