The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-15
VACCINATION.


An article on vaccination recently pub
lished by one DIR. Sturdevant, in the Nor
folk County (Mass.) Gazette, has attracted
considerable attention. The writer claims
that animal virus is complete protective
power for a lifetime, and refers to the offer
of DR.. Martin, the only successful produ-
Ger of non-humanized virus in the United
States, to the effect that he will give 81 900
for any instance Of an adult properly vac
cinated with it who shall at any time after
three weeks subsequent to the operation,
be attacked with variolous disease. This,
of course, not only includes smallpox, but
the milder form Of the disease, known as
varioloid. DR.. S. also holds that the virus
from the human arm is of but little value
as protective agency, and alludes to
case giving the name and residence where
person was vaccinated thoroughly in two
places, when an infant, with unnamed virus,
the resulting scars being clear, and yet at
the age of thirteen had continent Smallpox.
"Among the exploded notions Of the past,
shown to be baseless in fact" says the
writer, sis the idea that person cannot
have smallpox twice, or take vaccination
after having had smallpox" He adds:
One illustration is worth many assertions and
fact outweighs thousand theories. Our well.
known townsmau Mr.. Fergus A. Easton had
| smallpox at the age of eight years, which left
sufficient number of its usual marks to satisfy
| the most skeptical to the nature OF the mala-
dy, yet on Thursday, the 10th instant, yacel
mated him with cow-pox virus, which has taken
| well and thoroughly-thus showing that he
| would have been liable to take smallpox again
upon sufficient exposure to the contagion.
To most persons the conclusion ar
rived at by DR.. S. would seem reasonable,
for it is fact that cannot be disputed that
persons who have had the smallpox some
times have it second time, and the same
thing may be said of the mumps, the mea.
sizes, and other kindred diseases. 1t is
universally conceded, however, that SECOND
attacks from maladies of this character arr
very rare. But DR.. S., as before stated
claims that in case of smallpox secont
yisitations of the disease occur only in per
sons who have been yaccinated with human
virus, and never where they have been in
oculated with cow-pox, or matter obtained
directfrom the animals. On this point h
says:
would especially urge upon parents, who's
children have never been reyaccinated since il
fancy to apply the test of protective effcac
afforded by the use of animal vaccination, 70
during this epidemic have revaecinated sewers
children with ample success whose parent
thought them perfectly guarded against small
pox by infantile vaccination, and notably on
case of a little girl of five years who was waco
mated in infancy, and had two very distlnc
marks on hor arm, who has taken revaccinf
ton with the animal virus.
In this connection it may be well to col
rect the general impression as to the man
ner in which vaccine matter was original
obtained by DR.. Martin, of Boston, VIII
supplies the health boards Of the Unite
i States with virus fresh from the ANNA
Many suppose that pure vaccine virus ca
} be obtained by vaccinating heifer with IL
. matter obtained from human arm. Sue
is not the case. The supply from whie
, the animals are vaccinated must be Obtain
ed from spontaneous case of coW-pox-
which is of rare occurrence. DR.. Martil
, after number of fruitless efforts, obtaine
9 a supply Of vaccine matter from ca
occurring in an animal at Beaugenc,
r France, in 1866, which he has propagate
through series of heifers comprising mo
, than five hundred animals. lie has
present about one hundred heifers in d
q ferent stages Of the cow-pox, and, inferrir
from the demands made upon him by IL
f cities where smallpox is raging, must
a driving good business.