Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-09
GSournaI ana Gourier.
Thursday Morning, March 0. 1882.
VACCINATION,

The Observation-Disclosures have been busy
this winter, but they have not made much
progress. The facts are too plainly against
their theories. Their most alarming argu-
ment has been that vaccination produces
disease and death. This charge has resulted
in careful examination of the ground for it
and it has been found to be very insufficient
to support the sweeping statements made.
During the year 1877 there were in Prussia
1852, 554 vaccinations and only A deaths fol-
lowed in these cases. An official investiga-
ton showed that in ~ cases this was merely
a coincidence in cases the death was really
due to the vaccination. The English reports
show that in 1000, 900 vaccinations death re-
suited from the operation in only 81 cases.
The greatest danger from vaccination is from
the use of impure virus, and especially from
virus taken from persons affected with syph-
Ills. The total number of cases in which the
been reported is about $50. and this in more
than 100, 000, 900 cases of vaccination during
the last so years. This danger is now totally
avoided by the use of bovine virus. The
possibility that bovine virus may be the
means of transmitting tubercle has been sug-
gested, but as yet there is no known authen-
tic case of such transmission, and the danger
must be very small. Erysipelas has in some
cases followed the use OF bovine virus, but
this may be due either to impure virus or to
the condition of the person operated upon.
These facts show that the evils which re-
suit from vaccination are very small-not
great enough to be seriously feared by any
one who does not care to have the smallpox.
On the other hand, the benefits of vaccina-
ton are incalculable. The current number
of the Medical Record contains some facts
which give some idea of the magnitude of
those benefits. In London the deaths &C.
curing from smallpox were in 1629-35 IS, 900
to every million of inhabitants in 172S-57
and 1771-8O Is, 900 deaths to every million
but after the introduction of vaccination in
877-S9 40 deaths to every million In Wales,
from 1888 50, the death rate from small
pox was 420 per million of inhabitants !; from
1854-79, or after the introduction of COM
pulsory vaccination, it fell to 2OS.5 per mil
lion, or one half. In the years 1852, 60
pei SSAe' VI Ch0 bSaS'IS l1Ou1 5LddllpOA Ill
England were among children under five
years of age. In the years 1873-77, after
compulsory vaccination had been introduced
among such children, the mortality in this
class from smallpox fell to 13 per cent. of
the total. In the last century smallpox at
times almost crippled the English navy. In
1873, among 40, 400 seamen, who were not
infrequently exposed to the disease, there
were only nine cases, and those were very
mild ones. In the English army since 1865
there has been on an average one case year
among every. $4,000 soldiers, excepting the
year 1S71-72, which was marked by q severe
epidemic of the disease in England. Turn
ing to the records of the smallpox hospitals,
where nurses and attendants are constantly
exposed, but where also they are yaccinated
and revaceina ed until the work is thoroughly
DONE statistics given by the Record show that
among such revaecinated attendants, of
10000 cases, covering several years, not
single case is reported in which the disease
was taken by an attendant The Record comes
to the following conclusion, which viii COM
mend itself to all unprecedented persons:
''The time. spent in demonstrating the, pro-
tective power of COW pox would be wasted
were it not for the obstinacy, stupidity, and
we fear often the dishonesty of the preten-
tious opponents of vaccination"