The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-03-11
VOLUME 13.
EMPORIA NEWS.
Friday. March II, 1870.
Written for TIE ExPoRIA NEWS.
THE SMALL-POX-ITS ORIGIN AND
HISTORY.


Smallpox was unknown to the Greeks
and Romans. Neither is the time, place
or manner OF its first appearance known
with any certainty. The first notice OF
any disease presenting the chief features
of smallpox is met with in Bello Ber.
sico, by Procopius, where he describes
lib. ii, chap. p, dreadfnIIy contagiou.
disease, which began at Potassium, IN
Egypt about the year 554 A. ID. 1t IL
next heard OF at Alexandria and Pales
tine, and little later still, along tho
countries bordering on the Mediterra.
mean Sea.
Smallpox, however, as we now see it
was not accurately described until the
year 800, when Rhazes of Bagdad, AraI
Empire OF Persia, gave TO the world AZ
unmistakable description of this loath-
some disease. Early in the tenth cen.
tury it appeared in England, and in the
year 1877 1t was brought to America.
In every country TO which it found its
way, and before any means were known
by which its severity could be mitigat-
ed, the death-rate from smallpox was
enormous. In England, in France, in
Germany, in Spain and Portugal, as well
as America, its ravages were fearful.
The natives of Mexico suffered many
visitations, attended with alarming fa-
tality, and many tribes of Indians were
almost annihilated.
Before the introduction of inocula-
ten, and when smallpox was taken in
the natural way, it is estimated that the
death-rate was one in six, and large
proportion of those who escaped with
life were very much disfgured.
From the year 1927, the time of its in
PRODUCTION into America, up to 17I7, q
period of 1875 years, no reliable method
for mitigating its severity or arresting
its progress was known among men.
According to the medical statistics OF
that time, 72 persons out of every 1000
of the population died of smallpox, and
in the year ITO. just previous to the
time when incubation made its way to
public confidence, the deaths rose to 81
per 1000 inhabitants. In England, when
the population was only one-third what
1t now is, from 10000 to 10000 died an
nually. DIR. Lettsom estimated the
deaths in Europe at 21O, coo per annum
and Bernoulli made the annual number
of deaths in the world at 100000.
incubation was discovered very early
in the eighteenth century, and was in
troduced into England by that heroic
woman Lady Mary Wortley Montague
She had seen the operation performed
while travelling in the Orient, and was
so strongly convinced of its prophylac-
tic power, and the incalculable benefit
its general adoption would confer upon
the human race, that she unhesitatingIy
submitted her son to the experiment in
Constantinople in TIT. Returning to
England shortly afterwards, and desir.
ing to submit the subject to the cOnsid-
Grafton and investigation of medical and
scientific men, she had her daughter in
oculated in London in 1871. About the
same time il was introduced into Bos-
ton, Mass. In the year 1877, the ccle-
brated Voltaire took up his pen in its
favor. But notwithstanding its advan-
tages, strikingly manifest in every case
where it had been faithfully tried, the
opposition to its introduction was so
fierce that very few were found bold
enough to boldly advocate it. 1t cost
eighty years of discussion and expert
ment to educate the public mind to 9
conviction of its utility, and strange as
it may appear, the fraternity of doctors
were its most vehement and persistent
enemies, Had they anything better to
offer? They had not. But it was some
thing new. 1t came without the seal OF
medical authority. The Pharisees had
not believed in it. A woman had pre-
sumed to teach them how to treat small
pox. How dare any one TO take it by
the hand?
In 1850, although incubation had been
extensively employed and some i'm
provement made in its treatment, the
pestilence continued to be widely diff
fused, and its rate of mortality alarming.
ly high.
OF every 1000 deaths from all causes
that took place ia England between the
years 1850 aud 1900, Sc were by small
pox.
OF every 1000 deaths from all causes
that took place in Germany during the
same period, IS were by smallpox.
In the city OF Amsterdam, from 178.
to 1905, there were from the same caus
IL $50 deaths, and the medical statistic
of these periods show that no countr!
escaped its visitatiOns. Wherever i
appeared,
Whether seen in the tropics
Or felt ut the poles,
| it left behind its horrible ravages. Sucl
was the condition of the world in re
gard to this loathsome disease up to tn
end of the last century.
Vaccination, the bane and antidote o
smallpox. was given to the world il
the year I79S, one year before Washing
toms death, by DIR. Jenner, of Berkeley
England. He had been many years en-
gagged searching for o remedy tina
should lessen its virulence, and, If pos
sible, Danish it from the face OF tn
earth. Believing he had found it, il
that year, amid n storm of opposition
and abuse, principally the offspring o
professional jealousy, ''he performe
his grand experiment of inoculating 81
James Phipps with smallpox, relyin
on only previous vaccination to pro
tect him from the more fatal disease
The result was successful. The patien
found himself insusceptible to the small
pox poison and the world rejoiced i
the hope that the most loathsome an
dangerous of known diseases was abou
to be banished from the world" d.
Warehouse, of Cambridge, Mass, in
) troduced it into America in $500, an
his own four children were the firt
that were vaccinated in the country.
1t is impossible for any individus
: TO form n correct estimate of the va;
benefits this discovery brought to I'll
/. family of man.
We have seen that before inocul:
ton was introduced the deaths froI
smallpox was one ga sac, and keepin
this fact In mind, it is interesting |
observe how comparatively harmle:
the disease has been rendered by IL
humane efforts of these two publ
houaEaesoro lad, AEarx, YVorflav MoE