Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-02-13
Lecture on Vaccination by DR.. John
S. Parry.
From Porney's Press J

! fore the Social Science Association
by DR.. John S. Parry, on "Vaccinaa
ton" The following is an abstract
of the Doctors remarks:
In the middle of September, 1871,
it first began to be apparent that
smallpox was on the increase in this
city, and that the grave suspicious
which physicians had for some time
entertained, that it would become
an epidemic, would soon be realized.
As has been usual with other epidem.
ic diseases, this one found our health
authorities totally unprepared for
its reception, and tonight we can
look back over long array of brok-
en- home circles and sum up our bit
ter experience-an experience which
is the more distressing because a
large number of the lives lost were
sacrificed on the altar of mismanage-
ment, prejudice, and ignorance.
Before the introduction of vaccina
ton, about 80 per cent. of all those
who were stricken with small pox
persisted The Board of Health as
sert that the mortality of the present
epidemic is l6 per cent. This is too
high by at least 10 per cent for
smallpox is now an affection which
is almost under humah control, and
majority of the lives lost by it arc
wanton sacrifices, for which tho pub
lie authorities should be held respon-
sibe.
The fact is between September l,
1871, and January Is, 1872, about
1000 persons died of strictly pre-
ventable disease in this enlightening
city, and that this was nothing re
markable, according to The sanitary
gospel of certain commercial authori-
ties, is som, thing which scientific
men cannot appreciate. Truly the
estimated value Of human life is very
low when it can be summed up in
dollars and cents by misery money
changers. The recent epidemic in
London began October 20 1870, and
the mortality increased until May 6,
1871, when 288 persons died of small
pox during the previous week. Al
hCugh London has nearly five times
the population OF Of our city, this
mortality alarmed its inhabitants,
and the public money was freely ex-
pended in the efforts to quell the die
ease.
After citing the proof that Benja-
min Jesty, native Of England, first
experimental with cow-pox, in the
year 1874, the lecturer proceeded TO
relate how Jenner became convinco
ed Of the efficiency Of vaccination,
and was finally led to make expert
ments in 1896. Two years later Jen-
ner published the results Of his in
designations, which led TO the gen.
eral use Of vaccination In l84l in
occulation was forbidden in England
aud in 1852 vaccination was made
compulsory.
1t is now well-established fact
that true bovine smallpox can be
generated in the COW by virus taken
from human patient. Varioia in
man is an eminently contagious dis
ease, and is always accompanied by
general eruption, while horse or
cOw-pox ID not transmissible from
one TO another animal by conta-
gion, but only by inOeculation. In
the same way man can only receive
the disease from the lower animals
| by inocculation, and when thus re-
Ceived it is not contagious, but re-
tains its true equine Or bovine char
acter.
The transmission Of any specific or
zymotic disease from an animal of one
species TO one of another species il
very difficult, though the individual
receiving the virus may be suspect.
ible TO is influence. Thus the ear
y experimenters met with many
failures in their attempts to produce
cow-pox by the inocculation of vario-
lous mattern and, on the other hand
only about half of the efforts to trans
fer cow-pox TO the human subject
were successful. When the present
epidemic made it's appearance in
Philadelphia the necessary quantity
| of vaccine matter was not on hand,
and the physicians, from necessity,
turned to the COW for fresh sup-
ply. Many persons believed the pro-
tective power Of such virns to DO
greater than that obtained from the
human subject, and they demanded
to DO vacciuated with such materi
al, not knowing the uncertainty of
bovine inocculation.
Shortly after the epidemic appear
ed here, three kinds of virus could
be obtained. One was foreign ar
ticle, and was utterly worthless the
others were from Boston and New
York. The speaker was successful
with the virus from Boston, but fail
cd with that from New York. The
bovine lymph, when it is successfully
introduced, is very severe in its &C.
ton, and this is another serious OBJ
lection to its general adoption.
Hnmanized lymph presents many
striking pecularities. After bovine
virus has been transmitted through
the systems of several members OF
the human family it becomes much
milder in its effect and much more
certain 10 its results without having
lost any of its specific qualities
The authorities agree that with good
human virus, aud exercising all
due degree of care, vaccination
should not be unsuccessful in more
than one in every $50 insertions.
The amount OF ignorance in re-
gard TO vaccination is truly surpris-
ing. The result is often imperfectly
performed, and only partial protec-
ton is afforded. The popular belief
that vaccine matter loses some of its
virtues by frequent transmissions is
not sustained by critical experience.
Vaccine disease can no more
change its specific nature than scar
let fever, measels, or smallpox itself,
and whoever heard of these being