St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-02-17

noted how many are travelling with
bags and sacks, to hold clothing, and
with sOiled bundles, that serve as the
fomites of disease. There is many a
passenger that ought to be stopped
at the entrance station and made
to take a bath and fumigate his
clothing, or else be assigned to a spe-
cial car of low degree, which had been
fully disinfected in advance. Small
pOX, as a disease, has not ameliorated
in our climate or with the progress of
time. 1t is the same lOathsome dis
ease. Even its treatment does not
seem to have greatly improved. In
deed, our attention has been drawn to
two series of cases in an adjacent state,
where the hemorrhagic was added to
the cOntiuent type and the virulence of
the poison seemed very intense but
the boon of Jenncr is the one great
comfort of society as to its limitation.
Surely, the physicians ought to he the
competent witnesses as to the efficiency
of vaccination to protect from small
poX. There have arisen various
schools of medicine and various sects
of practice, but all are agreed as to
vaccination. The exceptions are only
those of individuals, and not of classes,
and such exceptions as occur to all
good things proposed. There will
never he Il time in which we will not
need the closest scrutiny to determine
what is the best virus and the best
method of use, and how long it will
retain effect, and why it runs out in
some sooner than others but all this
does not in the least inValidatc conf
dencr in the operation itself. We wish
those that have been at all disposed to
listen to the prciudices of the few
would read the shilling pamphlet of
Ernest Hart, of London, on ''The Truth
about Vaccination He first shows
the recorded facts as to the havoc of
smallpox without vaccination then
what vaccination is and its power in
preventing or modifying the disease.
In twelve objections to vaccination he
presents all the points ever known to
have been suggested against it, from
the one which claims that it animalizes
mankind to the other that it disturbs
the order of Providence. Knowing the
success of vaccination in preventing
smallpox. Il natural makeShift is to
The possibilities of this are so remote
and the facts in evidence so scarce that
one might as well argue against the use
of pins, because the scratch of pin has
many times caused crysipelas. When
such man as DIR. West, who has had
charge of between fifty and sixty thou
sand children, in Great Ormond Street
Hospital, London, tells lis that he does
not think vaccination produces disease,
and when such testimony is so fully
corrObOrated, we have ground for conf
dcnce. Whatever occurs after Vaccl-
nation must not he attributed to it.
And, if it can he shown that Vaccina
tiOn from person to person has i'll one
case in 10000 given reason for suspI-
cion that disease has been conveyed,
this would he no stronger reason for
ceaSing vaccination than it would be
to discard all physicians, because, in
some possible case, "A disease has been
carried by Il physician. But, now that
| the use of bovine virus, derived dl-
rectly from the calf by credible per
sons, can he secured, these objections
ought fully to cease. No one has ever
claimed anything serious to have been
transmitted in this way. Already the
vaccinations from this source have
numbered hundreds of thousands and
the results have been eminently salts
| factory. The question as to the neces-
! sity of reVaccinatiOn is one difficult of
settlement. 1t is believed by most
! physicians that, when vaccination has
fully and thoroughly taken, in the
| great majority of instances Il second
vaccination, even years after, will pro
duce no effect but the vaccination
may not have been complete or, i'll IA
minimum of cases, some change of con-
Stitution seems to limit the duration of
effect. As this can only be judged of
by the repetition of the vaccination, it
is safer to have SO simple an operation
repeated. 1t is an open question
whether the SO-called "taking" of the
second vaccination proves that the
person. if exposed, would have con
tracted smallpox. 1t does, however,
go to show that the condition of the
individual was different from that of
one on whom revaccination will not
take. In view of the widespread pre-
valence of the disease at the present
time throughout the country, we must
urge upon all the necessity of vaccina-
ton, and must advise reVaccinatiOn fol
any liable to he exposed who have not
been vaccinated for several years.
| Independent.