The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-12-07
Systematic Vaccination Needed.

This community has SO long been free
from first class fright from the presence
in our midst of veritable case of small
pox that we are in condition to exper.
fence fearful loss of life, and great in.
jury to business should this loathsome
eontagion make its appearance among us
The popular delusion obtains largely il
this community that person once the
subject of successful vaccination is ever
afterwards entirely protected, and it is q
very common cause which prevents many
from resorting to re-vaccination and thus
securing to themselves as perfect a pro.
lection as possible. Every physician will
tell you that there is at least dangerous
unsafety in this reliance. But a more
fertile cause of neglect Of this precaution.
AIRY sanitary measure is the fear Of the
use of impure vaccine matter which will
introduce other diseases into the system
more to be dreaded, if possible, than the
pestilence against which they are guard.
ing. This is matter which should, Ger.
tainly, be carefully looked after and
guarded against, but the danger from this
source is only from carelessness on the
part of the physician. 1t is possible al.
ways to obtain virus free from any dan
gerous impurity, unless in case Of espe.
cial exigency like the sudden and viru
lent presence of the contagion which finds
the physician unprepared and induces
him to exercise less than his ordinary eau
ton in selection. This is an urgent rea-
son for attending to the matter when the
exigency of immediate danger does not
appear to be upon us. In the first place
we should have general vaccination and
Systematically thereafter at intervals O!
time to be determined by the judgment
of the medical faculty. The trustees OF
the village could perform no official act
which would confer greater good upon
this community than by appointing a
board of physicians whose duty it should
be to visit from house to house every fam
lily in the village and explain the duty
and advantages Of vaccination, and pro-
cure vaccine matter Of the utmost purity
possible, and make thorough work of it.
They might also proftably appoint SAN
itary inspector every year whose duty it
sould be to make frequent inspections and
an annual report. The expense would be
but little, and the results would be cx-
tremcly gratifying. We ask the trustees
to give this subject careful consideration,
and either act upon their own responsible
lily or be prepared to make recommended
tions at our annual meeting carly in JAN
uary. Not long since the report was
somehow started that there was case OF
small pox on Seymour Street, and it
created considerable alarm. Itprovcd to
be untrue and was forgotten, But sup
pose it had been true? Were our physi-
clans prepared to meet it Arc our citi-
zens now prepared to meet such an emcr-
gency? And yet, in these days of con-
slant travel, who is safe? As an illus
trations, no less than two hundred and
twenty-five cases of small pox occurred
in the city of New York between Jan.
LIST and May lst and that without caus-
ing comment or preventing our continued
relations with that city. One man alight-
ing from the cars at our depot only Just
feeling the effects of the malady coming
on, might send the terrible disease into a
dozen of our houses. If the means Of
prevention were not easily within our
reach, We would advocate philosophic
GOODNESS, calm submission to the incvita-
bic. But neglect of proper precautionary
measures to prevent the spread of so looth-
some and fatal disease is madness
The Necessity Of Promoting Men of Gooi