The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-11-29
GhnGttetliaeneer.
NMALL.POX.
vembeT, 1871,


gether for the purpose Of showing how
false many of the prevailing ideas on thu
subject are, and saving time and trouble
To those who are engaged in trying to find
out the real truth regarding it;
1t appears now to be fully acknOWl
edged by medical men
l. That vaccination, though 1t greatly
lessons the susceptibility Of taking small
pOx, does not render the reception Of. il
in after years altogether impossible.
2, That vaccination in most cases great
ly mOdities the character OF the small
pox eruption, and lessons the.seyerity o.
the attack.
8. That revaccination gives on absolute
~ immunity from smallpox.
The reasons for coming To these conclu.
sions are as clear as they possibly can be-
and there cannot be the smallest allow
anCc made for people who wilfully Op,
pose such arguments rs the following:
Dr. A. o. q. De Renzy, Sanitary Com.
missioner in the Puniab, says: "In this
province, with population of lS,000,-
900, the deaths from smallpox are never
less than 10000 year. In 1869 they
numbered 53,105." In England the an.
nual average mortality does not exceed
5000, though previous to the introduction
OF vaccination 1t was quite as high us in
the Punjab.
The facts, again, concerning vaccination
in Scotland and Ireland, supplied to DR..
Anstie by DIR. Seaton OF the Privy Coun.
Gil, speak for themselves as plainly as facts
possibly can do
In the former country It appears there
was no vaccination act prior 10 1868, and
the average yearly deaths from small box
in twelve years, 1S53-G4, were 1864. In
1865, go, ~, 'GS they were respectively
l7j, 200, 1874 and 25.
In Ireland vaccination was not cOmpul.
sorry before 1868, and in the periods 1850
40, 1S4O-5O and 5000, the respective
annual average mOrtalites were $500,
1897 and 1879. In the years 1864, 'G5,
90, 'G7, '0S they were respectively 1854,
3l7, 1877, 20 and 10. In the first quarter
Of 1860, again, there were only lhrce
deaths, and in the second, none. Let any
one who Is skeptical W regards the advan.
tagcs to be derived from vaccination pass
in review the valuable evidence of Mr..
MarsOn, ut the SMALLPOX Hospital lion.
don). In 5000 cases OF pOst.vaCcinal
smallpox, under observation from 1886 10
1855, II appears there were
50 per cent. of deaths among those that
were unvaccinated;
1857 among those that stated they had
been vacCinated, but exhibited no cicatrix.
Among those that had
1 ClcatriX, tho number OF deaths per cont.
was ,.,,..,....,,,''.,,',.... ,.,.,,.,.,.7 ,78
Clcatriccs. .''''',.,.,,,.,..,.,"..i.
',s'.,'',.'sE,,'...,.,.,, .,..,...,.l.DJ
or mOFo'''''''''' '''''',..','',,.,.'.,..,.Uo
The percentage Of deaths among those
that had well.mNrked cicatriCs was 2.52,
and 892 among those who had badly
marked CiCatriCs. Among those that had
had smallpox previously II was 10.
In PinChbeCk, Lincolnshire, with u
population of about 5000 inhabitants,
only one death has occurred from small.
poS during the last thirty years, and this
was In the case Of an unYaCcinated per.
son. The medical officer of the district
has three times received the government
grant for efficient vaccination. DR.. Sea.
ton, in his evidence before the Select
Committee, stated that vaccination had
the effect Of reducing the mortality of
children under five years Of ngG. III Scot
land tho iniantile mortality has been re-.
duCCd from from 10 or 80 per cent to So.
In GreenOCk tho mortality under fivo
years of age has been reduced to 30 per
cent, and in Glasgow to 90 per cent.
In the Lancet Of 9Th Of April, 1854, the
following statement occurred: mot u
single reVaCcinated case has been admit.
ted into the Smallpox Hospital at Ho.
merton, and no death OF n vaCcinatcd per.
son hus occurred under H." "Thls, rs
the editor remarked, "shows the protect.
i've power Of epen imperfect vaccination
up to puberty, and the necessity for re.
vaccination at this time"
The strongest case one can advance in
support Of re-vaCcination Is the fact that
not u single nurse has died at the Small.
POx Hospital for the last thirty years, in
spite of the Injection to which they arc
constantly exposed. As regards the
lymph fit for the purpose Of vaccination,
a good deal OF doubt seems to exist.
Some say that carefully selected matter
from re.VaCclnaten cases Is as sure in It's
effects as that taken from primary vesi.
Giles; others, that secondary vaccine mat.
ter is of very little use, and that only that
taken from the arms oil infants should be
used; while others assert that the lymph
taken from the arms Of children has be.
come deteriorated by passing through 50
many different systems, and that fresh
supply should be obtained from tho or.
iginal source. Now, with regard TO the
use Of secondary matter, there can be no
doubt that II Is capable Of setting up tho
same constitutional disturbance, and pro-
duCing tho same kind OF vescles, as lymph
taken from primary cases; but still II not
unlreQuently happens that the vesiClo are
unduly fastened or otherwise irregular In
their development. And from review
OF the facts mentioned In the Lancet, goth
July, 1871, by DR.. Barbour, OF tho Stock.
well Fever Hospital, | would say TINT the
amount Of protection 10 be gained from
its use Is very small, aud that 1t should
he employed under very exceptional cir.
CumstanCes. Where none other for the
time being can he obtained, and rc.vacina.
ton is imperatively demanded. BryCo's
test should certainly be employed in order
TO sec whether II has efficiently performed
the purpose for which II was intended or
not; in other words, lymph should be
again inserted into the arm few days
alter the first vaccination. If both vest.
Ccs maturate and also die away at the
same time, then the first vacCinn.
ton may be considered 10 have
produced the desired effect but If the
second vesicle goes through all the stages
Of the primary vesciCle, then the first
operation has been mere local affection
and has really exercised no proicctioc in.
tlucnce whatever. The following case &C.
Cured in my own experience. A lady
who had apparently been successfully
vaccinatcd with secondary lymph, was
onc month subsequently revaCCinated
Will, nrimnru Lrhn rnenlIinR YnsriClha