The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-02-01
VACCINATION.


TURE on VACCINATION BEFORE THE
SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION IN
| PHILADELPHIA, JAN. IS, 1872.
In the middle of September, 1871, it
first began to be apparent that small pox
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 epidemic diseases, this one found
our health authorities totally unprepared
for its reception, and to night we can look
back over a long array of broken home
circles and sum up our bitter experience
AN experince which is the more distress
ing because large number of the lives
lost were sacrificed on the affairs of mis-
Management, prejudice, and Ignorance
Before the Introduction Of vaccination
about 50 per cent of all those who were
stricken with smallpox perished. The
! Board Of Health assert that the mortality
of the present epidemic is l6 per cent
This is too high by at least 10 per cent,
for small pox is now an affection which is
almost under human control, and ma
jority of the lives lost by it are wanton
sacrifices, for which the public authorities
should be held responsible. The fact
that between Sept. l, 1871, and Jan. IS,
1872, about 1000 persons died Of a
strictly preventible disease in this en-
lightened city, and that this was nothing
remarkable according to the sanitary
gospel of certain commercial authorities,
is something which scientific men cannot
appreciate Truly the estimated value of
human lie is very low when it can be
summed up in dollars and cents by
miserly money changers
Shortly after the epidemic appeared
here three kinds OF virus could be OBJ
tanned One was foreign article, and
was utterly worthless the others were
from Boston and New York. The speaker
was successful with the virus from Boston,
but failed with that from New Y York-
The bovine lymph, when it is successfully
introduced, is very severe in its action,
and this is serious objection to its general
adoption After bovine virus has been
transmitted through the sytems of several
members of the human family it becomes
much milder in tis effects and much
more certain in its results without having
lost any of its specific qualities. The
authorities agree that with good human
virus and exercising all due degree oi
care, vaccination should not be unsuc
cessful in more than one in every l5C
Insertions The amount Of igorance in
regard to vaccination is truly surprising
The result is, that the operation is Otter
imperfectly performed, and only partia
protection is afforded. The degree o
protection afforded by vaccination varie:
much with the manner in which tht
operation is performed. If properly done
it is almost absoluate. No child shoulC
be vaccinatcd ia less than four places
and in the performance of this operation
no physician should allow himself to bt
influenced by maternal sympathy. o
5000 postyaccinal cases of small pol
tabulated by Mr.. Simon, 2l4 per cen
died among those who were said to have
been vacciuated but could show n,
cicatrx, Il per cent Of those who ha,
one cicatrix, Al per cent of those havin:
two, / per cent of those having three
and only I per cent Of those having fou
well marked cieatrices, while 49, pc
cent of those who never had been vac
, cinated died of unmodlied small pox.
Most persons will have sore arm from
vaccination twice in their lives-onc
,, during infancy and second time i'm
mediately after the 14th or 18th year
The popular idea that influence wear
out and has to be renewed every sevel
years is unsupported by any facts what
ever. Re vaccination is important, an
should never be omitted alter the lot
year of life. Vaccination has not increas
ed the mortality from other diseases, sue
| as scrofula and consumption on tn
contrary, many persons are protected frot
! these disascse, which might be develope
7 in them if they were attacked by small
); pox. No proof can be furnished tha
i scrofula is ever transmitted with vaccin
b virus After an experience of three
S quarters of century in all parts Of th
t civilized world, physicians are certaiul
. qualified to speak with some exactness i
regard to the danger of contractin
j syphilis by vaccination, and most Of theI
f are disposed to consider this danger bu
t trifing, and always due to carelcssnes
!, With properly selected virus there is n
d danger at all.
Unless something is speedily done
: arrest the progress of the epidemic,
5 may be prolonged as in London for MOI
< than a year. Three measures are IN
T portant l. Complete and thoroug
isolation of persons affected by the diseas
2. Perfect disiulection of the homes an
= effects of those who are i'll with It,
i Systematic vaccination and re-vaccin
s ton, which should be made compulsor
q This is a plain statement of the vario
q epidemic in philadelphia in 1871; a
4 epidemic, about which, according to Il
II public papers and our commercial author