The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-26
Vaccination.
HOW TO GUARD AGAINST THE TER
POINTS THAT ALL SHOULD KNOW.
From the Breakfast Tablet

lue DIHCK-ueHIn vi tht ulluuie
ages and the plague of Athens ESQ
graphically described by Thucydides)
were undoubtedly epidemics Of small
pox, although we came TO learn more
of 1t after the Saracen campaigns In
Spain and Sicily, and particularly
after the Crusaders carried it to every
land they touched. Henceforth the
population of many countries has been
seriously decimated by its ravages. 1t
thereafter became a scourge in Eng
land and Germany, and particularly
in Sweden. The Dutch and Danes
carried 1t to Iceland and 10000 of the
$4,000 population of that country per-
ished. Some idea can be formed of its
virulence from the fact that only seven
of 1000 patients attacked recovered.
Siberia and Kamtchatka were almost
depopulated, while, in the opposite
zone, Hayti was entirely depopulated.
In Brazil, whole tribes were destroyed,
and in Mexico alone three and q half
millions died among them the brothero
the unfortunate but brave MonteZunla.
And thence it spread over all of AM
erica and every country of the Old
World, so that not year passed with
out its moving terrible swath OF
death through great tracts of country,
and with every decade the scourage
seemed to increase, particularly among
the large armies then constantly mob
ilizing in all portions of Europe. Not
single year passed without the loss
of over half million lives, in Europe
alone, or almost as many people as
live in Philadelphia. In 1876, one Of
every twenty-six inhabitants of Prus-
sia died of the disease, and more than
that in France. So severe was ii that
with the French the proverb ran:
From smallpox and love but few re-
main free" In these days, too, be 1t
remembered, to "take smallpox" al
most surely meant death.
Suddenly there was truce to this
slaughter by pestilence, and, strange
to say, it began in filthy China and
heathen India. 1t was there found
that by properly inculating persons
with the disease-anticipating it, as 1t
were the type of the attack would
be less severe, and instead of recovery
being the exception it was the rule.
To them the dread of this anticipation
was small, because they felt sure Of
contracting it some time at least.
The plan became in vogue In Constan-
tinople, and Lady WORTHY Montagu,
visiting there, was deeply impressed
with its efficacy, had her son inocu-
lated, and, on going home to England,
her daughter, and quickly succeeded
in establishing the plan in Britain.
The mortality, when purposely inoc-
ulated, was only about 2 per cent.
About this time (l77G) DR.. Jenner
was thus inoeulating for small pox in
Glouchestershire, England, when he
was surprised to find that there were
many persons in that district in whom
the insertion of the virus produced no
effect, although they had never passed
through smallpox. He found that
these persons were dairy people, who
had contracted the pustular disease
called cow-pox, and found this pre-
ventive effect was beyond cavil.
About 1900, vaccination Latin,
vacca, cow became general
throughout the civilized world, and
without u single exception, in every
country smallpox decreased as the
practice of vaccination increased, al
though, until then, it everywhere was
making unprecedented headway.
Thus that which the invocation of
saints and the legislation Of nations
could not do was executed by the
lancet of country doctor, smallpox
| became disease of minor considera-
ton instead of the scourage of the
world. This discovery now entirely
! superseded the more hazardous opera
ton of incubation,
The general practice succeeded In
almost stamping the disease from the
! world, but now that ii is again some.
what on the increase. il is a pertinent
inquiry to account for this fact. To
those who have given the matter that
degree of interest to entitle their Opin-
ion to any value, this explanation ia
perfectly easy. The answer simply is
that this immunity bread a feeling of
reckless security. Vaccination has in-
deed been so protective, and the relief
| it has secured been so great, that q
general indifference has arisen that is
now well calculated to occasion alarm.
TO the above statement ofthe world i
Immunity from any dire ravages there
may, perhaps, be one exceptions: Per-
sia has ever considered vaccination
sin, and at present its performance
there is almost unknown, and apriori
small-po has ever been and is now
very destructive. In single Persian
town of 760 recently sick from it, only
thirty recovered, and of these there
was not one who was not blind or had
lost at least limb. In Brazil there is
only enc physician to- 10000 popula,
ton, and in the greater portion ol
the empire vaccination has of late