Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-01-08
coxpUrsoaY VACCINATION.

COMPULSORY VACCINATION.
DIR. Anstie, writing on the "yacci-
Question,',in the Practitioner,
formally expresses his conviction In
the following terms: Upon no rea-
sonable grounds can it be any longer
denied that the compulsory extension
of efficient vaccination to the whole
population opens the sure road to the
extinction Of smallpox. Upon no
reasonable grounds can it be any
longer pretended that vaccination can
not be made absolutely harmless" lie
introduces a table to show the rcgu-
larry diminishing proportion of deaths
from smallpox In successive periods
corresponding with the extension of
vaccination and increased facilities for
its being practiced, in England and
Wales. Thus, in an average Of thirty
years previous to the Introduction OF
vaccination, the annual rate Of deaths
per million of the population was j.
600. An average Of three years ls3S
4Ol when vaccination had become to 4
great extent diffused, but before any
public provision was made for its grl-
tuitous performance, exhibited the
number Of deaths per million rs 40.
In an average OF nine of the years
QS4l-'53h when vaccination was gra-
tuitorsly provided, but was not obiiS-
atory, the annual deaths per million
were 304. During tho ten years (lS5i-
'6S(, when vaccination had been
to a certain extent obligatory, the
death rate was reduced to III per
million. In Scotland and Ireland,
Notwithstanding some defects in
the vaccination acts. for the
two countries, smallpox he's steadily
diminished, and is at present nearly
extinct in both of them. There was
no vaccination Act in Scotland prior
to 1853. The average yearly deaths
from smallpox in the twelve years,
1853 to 1864, were l,04; In 1865, 1866,
1857 and 1865, respectively, they were
l75 300, l24 and %. In Ireland CON-
pulsion was not practically adopted
before 1853. Vaccination was then
made compulsory within six months
from birth, or persons born after jan
uary l, 1854. "The working of the
Act /, a triumph of administration"
OF no. 600 children born annually,
more than ITO, 900 arc publicly vacci-
mated, as against %, 900 before the COM
pulsory Act was passed, and the aver
age is yearly increasing. Private
vaccination, no doubt, affords protec-
ton to a considerable number, but not
nearly all of the remaining 81 5000.
The results upon smallpox mortality
are striking and unmistakable.
Whereas, in the periods, 1s30-l0, 1910
80. and ls5l-GO, the respective average
mortalities had been $500, 1927 and
1872; in the years 1s64-jG-7 and s,
they were S54, 347. 1s7, 20 and 10, re-
spectively; in the first quarter Of 1859
there were only three deaths, and In
the second quarter o To the ques-
ton whether vaccine lymph degener-
ates by the mere fact of prolonged hui
m~anization, or its transmission from
one human being to another, the an
swer, DIR. Austie assures uS must be q
direct and absolute negative. He rests
this opinion OH the conclusions drawn
from patient and careful investigation
of the large mass OF evidence on the
subject. Jenner himself pointed
ont the possibility, and indeed
fallacy of degeneration, in conse-
ouence Of transmission through I'M
selected subjects. "But the case
is utterly different with the well
known lymph-stocks which are OBJ
tanned from the National Institution,
and many of which are directly de-
scendcd from Jenner's original lymph,
| having never passed through any but
human systems during all that number
of years. This lymph, which Is ac-
cessible to all, Is so far from having
shown any, even the faintest traces Of
a d~egenerative tendency, that on a
recent occasion it produced the follow
Nc decisive results: At five ~vaccina-
ton stations in London, Liverpool and
Birmingham, i4G p%unctures were made
with lancets armed with this lymph.
The result was the production Of ALB
typical and perfect vesicles, of such Il
character rs has always been found to
ensure complete protection" Doctor
Anstic disbelieves entirely the alleged
transmission of other infections by the
medium Of vaccination. The practice
of re-vaccinatiou has proved 10 bic
much more extensively nccessary.than
was originally supposed by Jenner.
In addition to occurs to 1t where the
original vaccination had not run a
regular course. it is now stated by the
best authorities that r~c-vaccination Is
also required in cases where, although
the course Of the original infection was
regular, the amount Of it was small ;
and also i'm a small, indeterminate
number Of persons, where primary
vaccination was both regular and suf-
flcient, but in whom the protective
effect Of vaccination tends to wear ont
more rapidly than it does in the ma
jority Of mankind.
SAN FRANCISCO FINANCES.
We find the following compiled
statement of the financial condition OF