The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-12-11
NACCINATIDN.

The much dreaded scourge OF small
p01 having made its sppearanceln sever
al parts OF the State, producing almost a
psnic in some counties, and threatening
rs in this city with visitation, the sub
iect of vaccination and the absolute nee
essity therefor, naturally Suggests itself.
And in connection with this subject we
have been furnished with a copy OF re-
mort made to the Governor, November
slh, 1870 by DR.. JONI G. HUrr, then
State vaccine agent, from which we ex-
trnct much information of interest aud
Of incalculablc benefit if taken adyan-
tage of.
Iti.a.,uucd n- AN established fact,
that vaccination /. a sure and complete
remedy against ,his most loathsome and
fatal disease, and therefore it is sremedy
which should never cease to DC applied.
Il ,npears from statistics that about ten
tbousand children are born in this State
every year, which, Of course, will be in
creased in proportion to the increase OF
the adult population Of tho State. Every
one og these children forms fresh sub
ieg, for the disease OF small po1. Added
10 these are many adults who have
never been vaccnated, and so 1t appears
Tbs, throughout tho entire State, there is,
to use the words of the report, "alwayS
soil adapted to the growth of smallpox
and were vaccination withheld from the
people for the space of five years, there
would be much more than fifty thousand
persons certainly exposed to the disease.
When the terrible ravUsc, of small
poI are considered, it Is really wonderful
how anv one can consent to be longer ca
posed to it. It's not only loathsomc.
f,thy disease. but We read that "of every
one hundred persons attacked, thirty
three die and "among those whom 1t
permits to recover may he found those
disfgured with scars, those with general
health profoundly shattered, and last,
though not least, those partially or total
V blind and deaf.
Should such u calamity bclal State
IS that Of Withholding from the people,
Ior even brief period, "the incstimHble
AayAn:ages OF that protection from small
poE yhich vaccination affords then,
indeed would the mortality from that
disease become something awful, some
'hing a.most incrcdib e'
This statement gives some idea Of the
importance Of applying the remedy Of
vaccination, which from the time that it
Mss i'st discovered, has proven HARM
less and efficient averter Of one of the
greatest scourges to which humanity is
AabIe. Every city, town and village in
the State should see to it that each of one
their inhabitants unvaccinatcd should be
so Immediately, and the Legislature
should take measures for the appoint
ment of vaccine agents and for the pro
curemeRt of healthy vaccine virus, 'and
1t necessary, pass stringent laws on this
subject, for no man has right to cndan
ger the lives OF his fellow men, and
whenever smallpox breaks out, any one
who from foohshness or neglect is per-
mitted to go unprotected from the disease,
runs great risk of taking it, and spread
ing It among these with whom he comes
in contact. Such law could not be re-
gsrded as unjust or tyrannical, no more
than the one, which is universal,
that every sufferer from the dis.