, 1870-06-19

and considerably died. 60 both the sys-
TENS trnmphed, for neither cured the sick
man, who left nothing but question of
what might have been to be quarotled
over, IN which he took no further interest
Something Of the s1me sort has been
going on in Paris, for Some months past, On /
a large scale, where the doctors have
been vrangling ovar the question Of the
utility of vaccination. Smallpox, while
the discussion went on, hss taken
advantage Of the situation, and be-
come an epidemic, Tho death-zate from
this disease, for the three first months of
the year, as compared with the two years
preYi1us WAS as follows:
Js1n.I: ...---...--. ..'-..'..'..,n g . g II II
MATCH. ..-..-.--.s...s-.. ........ss" w ~
The increase WIS Large to begin with,
and it grew worse and worse with each sue
ceeding month. Some Of the doctors, no
doubt, were gratifed with the great num-
Der Of interesting cases they were called
upon to t1eat, and, when freah patient
died, there could be no question that small
por was, not only hard thing to cure, but
that the case before them was an un-
mistakable one Of smallpox When all
WIS over, however, most of the
patients, could their wishes have been con-
suited at that stage Of the business, would
probably have preferred vaccination to the
alternative of dying, and would have been
unreasonable enough to have refused to 60
into thar coffnB for the settlement of
scientific theory But, aa they were not
consulted, the medical men took the three
months for most learned discussion as to
| whether vaccination was really Of any use
! as prophylactic in the presence of small
! po1; as to whether, il it was measure of
defence against small l-po1, it did not super
induce other diseases, quite as bad; as TO
| whether, in case it should be used at al.
| The virus should be taken from the original
heifer, or from the human subject. Mean
while, it Was for the interest Of science that
vaccination should not be used at all, and,
in the interest of science. the patients died
as comfortably, and with as little fuss ani
loathsomeuess, as circumstances would nd
nit of. At last, however, the learned hav
come to a conclusion, aud the Medica
Commission, appointed by the hospitals o
Paris, have made report, in which the,
say Of vaccination:
.wc al, KNOW that, In certain number Of casez
lts benefit dlappears 70 such a degree, that ees
! tain petacns having beautiful vacclrA cleatttre
srccu1nb from confident vAEoia. OF m, more t otte
| KhAgtc FORM; re know that ArVe1 number g
) | vaccinated persons are attacked with vaHolA dL
% NAV ferminais nina CRY by death; bnt We also know Il,
these facts are only the exception; and that u
j, majority ot vscctnited persons s1e oaty Lightly =
lacked: and, on the contrary, we are not tRnoral
] Il It happens that persons NOT rAcclnated a
slightly 1t1scked, this is By far the greater exec
ton snd thas for perssnss ~ not vaoSln1ea' ns ~
;. cncc and the mAllgnity constitute the rule and
. the exception
J Il the reader will give his mind to th
o extract for few minutes, he willlea<n tbs
Is on the whole, vaccination Is a good thin
;, md that whoever is vaccinated is not ve
. likely to die Of smallpox The s05 Par
= ians who did die o{ it between the 1st
ID January and the LIST of April OF this 70,
+ would probably have been very mu
g obliged: to the doctors il they had fou
"a this out before the lst Of Janua1y.
II We published, few days aince. ropt
10 Of the enforcing Of the ordinance in rega
~ to vaccination in boarding house in u
u city, where q supposed case Of small-p
50 existed The action of the Board OF Hea
g. on that occa1ion WINS precisely the III
at thing to do. Here, as everywhere else
1s this country, where the immigration
'e' large, we are constantly exposed to danl
y from this 1irulent aud loathsome disea
I | l. II ~ ~
'e. nance shows how much We are indebted
q, it fox our exemption from an epideu
ut Our physicians hsve not yet dropped
'et lancet and taken TO dialectics instead, {
'e- the consequence is that within the
10 four years, there have been but $50 dea
or in this. city from smallpox; during
Me year 1869 there were bnt II deaths; I
'o' since the 1st Of January Of this year,
deaths from this cause have thus far b
only six. Most, If not all these b
been among Immigrants, or am
als | those who have been expo
of to contact with them. No case, howe,
I'd, ever occurs that it is not, at once, repo,
md either by the attending physician or BY
ain riglant Sanitary Inspector, and meass
the are Immediately taken, not only TO iso
ak. the patient, but 70 warn the public that
lily disease exists in given locality, ani
Hg, vaecinate or reyaccinate ali persons
1ge may have been exposed to the diaeas
d. that locality. The result is safety To
ich health of the community, as it is ev
Tor where else vhere vaccination is bcliaret
left md practised. In Dublin, Ireland. for
pom stance, it is compulsory, and there coca
Of there in 1869 only six deaths from 4,
th, po1- In St. Louis, On the other hand,
s1J are la1 in using this precaution, and, co
the quently, the deaths there,
It 8 year, were ESQ, almost as n
and as there hava been here in four yea1a,-
II. the exposure IN the two cities is about
am same, and sinco the lat of January
of this year, the deaths there have been
to our HL In Cincinnati, where
AVE faculty are divided upon the quesio.
by the utility Of vaccination, nature tea
oiu- the same lesson. In 1869 the deaths
his aas, and since the Isl Of January,
mo- yea1, 75. In both cities they had n
zero better Learn wisdom by our c1peEie
ner. though possibly they bad rather die,
Eife, with smallpox, than agree with Chicae
and It is curious that there should be at
sis day, altar the e1perienee Of the n
bed, civilized, and a portion OF the semicivil
lb1y, world, 70. somany yeara, any question X
ture upon this subject, and it only shows
ming prone the human mind is to believe IN,
snur- hold to- a theory in spite Of The stssst'
The Of facts, It is quite possible that the