Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-12-28

We gladly give place to the following communi.
cation from one Of our eminent physicians, upon a
subject of vital interest:
Smallpox is on the rampage throughout the land.
DR.. Flint of New York says For long time pre-
vious to the dis covery of vaccination by the i'm
mortal Jcnner. this loathsome disease ranked first
an ong the accute affections destructive of human
life" The same thing is true now; small pox is as
loathsome and dangerous a disease to day, and as
destructive of human life in the non vaccinatel as
it before the days ofJenaer when it first broke
out in India and China There has been no change
in any essential character of the disease from its
earliest history to the present time. 1t spares
neither age sex. the rich and the poor the high
and the low, are equally liable TO its ravages death
or horrid disa-ltr, meot
Read the daily ,iu3 weekly reports of the Health
Committees o some Of the large cities-New York
Brooklyn and Philadelphia; Two hundred and
twenty deaths from smallpox for the week ending
Dec. %, 1871. One hundred new eases Now what
do these reports mean? they mean just this, that
the fools are not all dead yet-they mean that one
of the most loathsone e, sckenng, naus eating dis.
figuring, dangerous diseases is allowed to stalk
abroad at noon-day when the means are at hand to
modify and change it to make it as harmless
as sucking dove. Vaccination alone can make
this wonderful changeit has done it, it does do it,
it will d. it.
Let 1t be understood, that If every man, woman
and child living has been vaccnated small
pox would never appear again, provided no more
children should he born. The modified smallpox,
(yaroid] would then take the place ofsmall-pox
tvarola)-variolod being a disease ordinarily of
insignificant Importance Smallpox cannot pro-
duce smallpox in those who have been vaccnated,
only variooid; but smallpox variolol can pro-
duce smallpox in the vaccnated. The non
vaccinated sure to have the small pox when ex.
posed 10 the variooid. Then how important it is
that every person should be vaccinatcd.
1t is a wauton, willful, cruel and criminal neglect
FOR any person who has arrived TO the years of un.
derstanding, to go one single day without being
vaccinated liable as is at any moment to be
stricken down with smallpox thereby endangerlng
not only ones life, but also the lives of others
friends and neighbors.
Fathers and mothers should see to it at once that
their children are vaccinated The Mayors of
cities and sele ctmen of towns shonld that
means are provided fr vaccnatinp Ill those who
are not able to pay the usual expense. Vaccna-
ton should be made compulsory. No scholar
should be admitted to any schoo', no help into any
family, no ahorers TO any corpoi alton, person
to any church or theatre, no passenger to a rail
way car with ut having been vaccnated.
The prejudice against vaccination is unbound d
perfectly healthy and reliable matter, either the
non humanized cow.pox, or the humanzed vaccine
virus can be had any day of physicians who devote
their whole time and attention to This subject. One
can take the COW pox virus directly from a healthy
heifer or the vaccine virus selected from healthy
infants, so that there is only the remotest danger
ofany inirmities entering the blood from vaccina.
ton.
Let everybody be vaccinnted. old and young
keep it up Let every child that she'll be born
hereafter be vaccinated before it is taken from its
mothers breast when this shall be done small
pox will have lost all its terrors and be banished
from the land NARIoLA