The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-01-31
SMALL Pox.
Naccin alton and Re-vaccinatIon.

4 o. 20 ~ F~''''-'-O = IT. Etf lt... 20
lNaccin asion and Re-vaccinatIon.
! ,tFrom the Edinburgh Medical Journal
J The following notes regarding vaccination
and rc-vaccinasion, have been put together
! for the ,pursosc of showing how false many
of the prevailing ideas on the subject are,
aud saving time and trouble to those who
are engaged in trying to fiud out the real
truth regarding it. IL LlJl u.s.. o.
1t appears now to be fully acknowledged
by medical men ''' .-"'
/ Il. That vaccination, though it greatly les
sens the susceptibility Of taxing smallpox,
! does not render the reception of it after
years altogether impossible. "
/ 2. That vaccination in most cases greatly
eruption, and lessons the severity of the
attack. 1gE JuI yiiI.l'4s- .fr'.''
3. That re-vaccination gives an absolute
| (?) immunity from smallpox. o..
! The reasons tor coming to these conclu-
siOus are as clear as they possibly can be
and there can not be the smallest possible
| allowance made for people who Willfully op-
pose such arguments as the following:
DIR. A. G. DeRenzy, sanitary Commits
| inoe with a population of Is .OOOO 600, the
deaths from small pOx are never less than
20 600 a year. In 1869 they numbered 3d.
| 195." In England the annual average laOr-
ftality does not exceed 5000, though pre-
vious TO the introduction of vaccination IL
was quite Us high as in the Punjsb. u
The facts, again, concerning vaccination in
Scotland ana Ireland, supplied to DIR. Anstie
4 by DR.. Seaton, of the Privy Council, speak
for themselves as plainly as facts possibly
can do.
/ In the former country it appears there was
| no vaccination act prior to 1863, and the
average yearly deaths from small pox in
twelve years 1SiS-64, were I,O54. In
1865, '67, and '6S they Were respectively us,
200, 124, and %. .-..
/ In Ireland vaccination was not compul-
sorry before 1868. and in the periods 1880 40
| $4,000, and in lS5O-60, the respective an-
nual average mOrtalities were $3.50, 3,S27
AMI ,272. In the years 1864, '65. '66. 'G7, '6S,
they were respectively s54, 347, 1877. 30, and
! 10. In the first quarter OF 1860, again. there
were only three deaths. and in the second
none. Let any one who is skeptical as re-
CARDS the advantages to be derived from
vaccination pass in review the valuable evi.
dcnce of Mr.. MarsOn. n the smallpox hos
pital, London. In 1000 ca a'es OF post vacci-
/ nal smallpox, under observation from 1886
/ 10 1860, it appears thas there were 80 per
cent Of deaths among those that were un-
vacciDated; p 81 among those that stated
that they had been vaccinated, but exhibi-
/ lNu sip SAI1tiiAs SA"phs, luosC sh5b Ddu
| l cicatrix, the number of deaths per
cent. was f'.-i - - lib
2 cicatrices .r- 10
3 cicatrices l.95
4 or more -- O.55
The percentage Of deaths among these that
| had we4 marked, eioatrices was 2.5a, and
s 81 amoEg those who had badly marked
! ci,atrices. Among those that hsd had
smallpox previously it was ID.
In the Lancet OF the Sth OF April, 1864, the
following statement occurred mot a
si1gie reorganization rase had been admit
ted into the smallpox hospital at Homerton,
and no death Of ayaccinated person has oc.
Cured uu7er seventeen" This" as the
editor remarked, .'shows the protective
prwr of even imperfect vaccination up to
i."".it,. anu en-; Htressiiy for re-vacclna-
ton 81 this time.
The strongest case one can advance In
support of re vaccination is the fact that
Eot 4 siEg gle nurse has died at the smallpox
hospital for the last thirty years, In spite OF
the infection 10 which they are constantly
exposed. As regards the lymph tit for the
! purpose OF vsccinaliOn, a good deal ofdoubt
seems 10 exist. Some say that carefully Sc
lec,ed matter from re-vaccination cases is as
sure IN It's effects as that taken from pri-
mary vesici-s Others that secondary vac
cine matter is of very little use, and that
.
should be used while others assert that the
lymph taken from the arms Of children has
become deteriorated by passing through so
/ many different systemS, and that i ,rcsh
supply should be obtained from the origi-
| nal source. ~
! Now, with regard to the use OF secondary
matter, there can be no doubt that it is capa-
BILE of setting up the same constitutional
! disturbance, and producing the same kind
OF vesiclcs rs lymph taken from the primary
cases, but still it not untrequently happens
that the vesicles are unduiy hastened or
otherwis, irregular in their development.
Aud from a review OF the fsct mentioned
in the Lancet, 29ih of July, lS7l. by DR..
! Barbour, of the Stockwell Fever Hospital,
1 would say that the amount of protection
to he gained from its use is very small, and
that it should be employed under very excep-
tional circumstances-wheren none other for
the time being can be obtained, and re-vacci-
nation is imperativly demanded. Bryce's
, test should certainly be employed in order
to see whether 1t has efficiently performed
the purpose for which iG WIS intended or
not in other words lymph should again be
inserted into the arm a few days after the
first vaccination. IfbOth vesicles suppurate
and also die away at the same time, then
the first vaccination may be considered to
have produced the desired effect; but il
the second vcsicle goes through all the sta
ges Of the primary vesicle then the first OPP
Grafton has been mere local affection, and
has really exercised no protective influence
whatever. The following crse occurred in
my own experience A lady who had ap-
parently been successfully vaccinated with
secondary lymph. was one month subse-
queHtly re-vaccinated with primary. The
resulting vesicles were as perfect in every
respect, and went through exactly the same
course as those occurring from a regular
primary vaccination. This was u proof, then,
that the first operation produced local
effrct only, and tnat it was incapable OF
afiording protection against the Infection OF
small -pox. In answer to those who affirm
that vaccine matter loses its effect by con.
J slant use, would say, for the same reason,
the poison Of fever ought TO become less vir.
ulcnt and infectious each succeeding year
! bnt this Is not the case, for though owing to
altered atmospheric influence, prevailing ep-
ldemics may, for time, die out, they soon
return when the conditions are again favor.
able, with an their former activity. But, In
addition to this let us see what opinion Jen.
ner held upon the. subject. After careful
watching of vaccination for upward OF
twenty years or more, during which time
lymph had been successfully transferred
trorn subject 10 subject, lie came TO the con
clrision that it underwent no change what
ever in its qualities. Marson, Ceely, and
others also whose. experience is very great
have pro, cd, SO fa- as such matters admit OF
proof, that vaccine lymph does not lose any
OF its prophyiactie power by continued
transit through successive subjects. When
lymph degenerates in transmission 1t Is in,