The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-12-14
GheGttelti4satsr
Small-pOI and its Prevention.
[sEcoND PAPER.l
TO The Editors Of the Intelligence:

Tothe Editors Of the lntelligencer:
We yesterday attempted briefly to show
the great value of vaccination; and alsC
that the popular fear Of disease arising
from this simple process is not wei
founded. Let us now inquire: VIA
are he benefits Of REORGANIZATION? BY thi!
We OF course mean vaccination again per,
formed alter it has once taken. An i'm.
preston prevails with many that the pro.
tectivc power of vaccination continues
seven years, and then runs out" Othera
think that il this operation is ever protec-
tive, It should always remain So Neither
idea Is correct. There is no definite time
during which protection continues. In
some cases 1t seems to last through lie,
while in Others We know it continues but
for n few years. This being true, re.vac-
ciadti0n has been resorted to, and with
what results, let us see.
DR., SeatOn, the eminent authority al.
ready quoted, says; AFTER GiIeCtual re.
vaccination, smallpox, even in It's most
modified form, is found very rarely, or
scarcely ever TO occur. Thus in
five years there occurred, among IA
3Sl re-vaccinated soldiers, only one in.
stance of variOloid; and among 10000
re.vaccinated persons in civil practice,
only two cases oil VariOloid, though dur.
ing these years smallpox prevailed extern
sively." In the Prussian army, before re.
vaccination was practiced, the annual
deathratG from smallpox was over 100;
since, but two. DR.. Marson, Physician OF
London SMALLPOX Hospital, says: "For
80 years we have re-vacCinated all the
nurses and servants who had not had
smallpox, on their comingto live at the
Hospital, and not one Of them has con.
tracted smallpox during their stay"
Here Is nothing less than demonstration
of the powers OF re.vaccination.
The question, then, as to the vast i'm.
pOrtanCo OF vaccination, and re.vaccina.
ton, being established, and likewise that
both are free from danger when carefully
performed, II Is important to decide
1VhO ROU shall DO gdctindtedP" First and
chiefly all those who have never been
vaccinated, or in whom vaccination has
failed to take effect This operation
should be performed in infancy, but If It
has been neglected, lot it be done n0lo.
Many persons in whom vaccination has
once failed, think themselves free from
danger. For manyuTeasons this may be
u great mistake, and all such persons
should be vaccinated Immediately.
II the first effort fails, try
again and again, and until your physician
tells you that you are safe. The same
with children. We have been successful
on the third attempt, and have recently
heard Of case In which success was
reached not until the i'm trial The virus
il not always active, nor Is PERSONS
system always in the condition which
seems TO DO necessary to secure.
Secondly, and next In importance, oil
persons over IA years Of ago should be
rc.vNccinated. About this time-irom IA
to 1880 many and such great changes
occur in the system, as to render the early
vaccination In many cases worthless
tNa thOugh q perfect scar remains, Hence
it IS found, on examining large numbers
OF persons attacked with smallpox after
vaccination, that the majority are from 10
to 81 years Of age.
H6dly, All those, even though they
UC ulluCl III WIZ llhNJ lulpCllCIl ulhIhb, |
Dr. seaton says; "If the marks be deci.
dedly imperfect In character, advise the |
parents to seek re.vaCCination with as
little delay as possible" And when
smallpox occurs In the family, or imme.
date neighborhood, he says: ANY under
puberty who have two or more thoroughly |
Characteristic marks should not be medled |
with; the children whose marks arc not
this good, should be re.vacCinatGd." We
have recently succeeded in elleCting u
good result in child 7years old, who
bore the imperfect scar ofa previous vac.
ClnatiOn.
ErGrybOdy, then, should be vacCinated
qOr, except those under IA years, who |
have thoroughly good scars, and possibly |
those who bear equally good marks of
re.vacCinatiOn performed after puberty
"a years.. 1t Is probable that u perfect |
rc,vaCCinatiOn done after this period will |
continue protective during life. This,
however, Is not demonstrated, and hence |
some most eminent physicians advise re-
vaccination on the approach Of every |
smallpox epidemic. 1t Is proper also to |
state that some vaCcinators of very large |
experience except no class whatever, but
insist on everybody being yaccinatcd, on
the approach Of every epidemic, without
regard to the appearance OF their marks,
or the time Of previous vaccination.
The length Of this article neCessltates
la ia lnIar n Enu, rn,nn rk a nrit1 IN. n1nPrnyu