Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-14
VACCINATION.
A Thorough Protection Against SMALL
pOXs

Inc following are the main points of an etli-
Iorial article on smallpox. from the pen of DR..
Leasure, which appears In the Northwestern
Lancet. published in st. Paul. Mimi. by Dr. j.
Owens:
I'll there is any one thing that is thoroughly
demonstrated by experience it is that in vacci-
nation we have thorough protection against
smallpox. provided that the vaccination is thor
ough. True, there may be here and there case
In which vaccination fails to protect from mild
form of variOlOid. after the victim has had true
varlola We have no longer any excuse for re-
lying on Jennerian virus, for the numerous vac
cine farms at present in active operation yielu
an abundance OF true bovine virus at prices
so moderate as to leave nothing to be
desired. and the fears so often entertained
of transmitting blood poisonS from impure
persons to the subjects of vaccination
need no longer exist Still, there are some
mOoted points to be cleared up before we can
be sure OF perfect protection single vacin-
nation may not protect in all cases hence the
necessity OF frequent revaccinatiOn till the sys-
TEN will no longer respond TO the action of the
virus. proving that the protection is complete.
great source of the uncertainty attending
the use OF virus long humaniRd is in the
fact that many persons were inoccuiated
from crusts taken from revaccinated per-
sons who passed through what was deemed
Il true vaccination but which. to some extent
was spurious, and hence not protective.
There are no doubt. thousands of persons who
believe themselves protected because they
have very sore arm and much cOnstitu-
tional disturbance but who simply had a
poison pustuie containing no true vaccine yir-
tue. Many. again. are only partially protected,
and hence liable to variOloid on exposure to
smallpox Infection because the system being
only partially saturated by vaccna leaves still
room in the blood for the incubation and matur-
alton OF either vaccinia or varoa poison. In
order to make assurance dOubly sure. it is al
ways best to follow a first vaccination by second
shortly after the first, and if lit takes. follow
on by presentations till the blood no longer
recognizes the presence of the poison. Revac-
cinatlcns are proper at various intervals during
the life of every one who has not had smallpox
or yarioloid. ana if they do not take. it shows
that the system is protected, and If they do
take. they protect.
In relation TO vaccination practiced after
person has been exposed TO the infection or
small poX. 1t seems to be pretty well Settledt that
to be effective iii protecting the party exposed.
1t must be done within five. or. at most. six
days after the exposure. The incubative stage
OF smallpox is IL days from the exposure and
all vaccinations performed after the middle
period OF incubation fail TO protect or even
change the disease to variolod. Ii is we'll TO
have in mind that in all cases of vaccination
after exposure to infection. none but hufnaniZed
virus should be used. if it can be obtained. be-
cause its period of incubation is shorter. and it
natures three days sooner than bovine virus.
1t is well 10 bear in mind that there is another
and very different form of the disease. that fol-
lows smallpox as a consequence of it. of which
fully One-haf OF the fatal cases are the result
we allude TO the secondary fever that comes on
alter the apparent subsistence of the smallpox.
and which is a true py2ma, or pus fever. re-
sulting from the absorption of the pus in the
pustues, before the perfection of the inspasa-
ton OF the pus in the forms of scabs or crusts
and. as smallpox will run its course in spite of
anything we can do to abort or thwart it. we
should turn our main efforts to averting the pus
fever which is sure to follow. We must bear
in mind that pus fever consists of a blood poi
soning by pus. and we should use means to les
sen the amount of pOstulatiOn by covering the
skin with some agent that excludes the air.
such as tenacious ointment or paste, or col
lodlon. or by timely puncture of the pustules
and evacuation of the pus: and the internal adj
ministratiOn of sulphites or chlorides. to satu-
rate the blood and fOrtify it against pus genesis
patient who has prOfuse continent pustulaton
may 90 safely through the original disease only
to succum5 to fatal pyRma."