Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-02-01
Vaccination.

At this time when that fearful scourge,
smallpox, is raging through the large cities
OF this country, and even our small towns
remote from railways end the course of
travel are not exempt from it, it seems the
part of wisdom to diligently inquire as to
the efficacy of its alleged preventive, or
rather mitigant, for we believe 1t is claimed
by none that vaccination is a sure preven-
tive. Our attention has lately been called
to an article in the North American Reviep
for June, 1881, by DIR. Arson Fiske, whose
father, also physician, was the first person
on this side Of the Atlantic who was vaccin-
ated, in support Of the practice; also to an
other article on the same subject by Henry
Bergh, the wellknown president of the So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ami
mails, in the number for February, 1882,
against it. The former stoutly maintains
that smallpox can be almost If not quite
eliminated from the list of diseases If the
government will rigidly insist upon univer-
sal vaccination; while the latter as stoutly
insists that vaccination not only never pre-
vents or mitigates the ravages of the dis
ease, but brings in long train OF evils by
which the condition of the race is deterior-
ated, and that therefore it is the duty Of the
government to prevent vaccination by every
means at its disposal. This is not case
where the question, "When doctors dis
agree who shall decide ?" is applicable, for
Mr.. Bergh is not doctor, although he
makes his statements as dogmatically as If
he were bred in the profession. But the
people, who have deep interest in the mat
ter, and for whose benefit it is necessary to
arrive at correct conclusions, must decide.
But how II the premises of either are
admitted, his conclusions must also be adj
mitted. Let us sift the evidence upon which
each bases his opinions
Before the discovery of vaccination by
DIR. Edward Jenner in 1898, small pox was
one of the greatest scourges Of mankind.
In the 18th and 18th centuries it swept
over Europe, and large proportion of the
mortality was attributable to this cause. So
great was the mortality that it became
proverb, "From smallpox and love but few
remain Free" 1t is fact, easily proved by
statistics and verified by the recollection of
of the living, that since the introduction Of
vaccination, or during the last half-century,
mortality from smallpox has been very
much less than before. But Mr. Bsrgh in
sists that in consequence of vaccination there
is imminent danger of tubercular deposits
upon the lungs, and that in the last fifty
years deaths from tuberculosis have rapidly
increased. If so, and he claims to be able to
prove it by statistics, he makes an important
point, for nothing is gained by shifting the
cause of death from one disease to another
Both contestants adduce much other evi.
dence in support of their respective theories,
but we cannot even summarize it. We
have selected the most striking aud impor-
tant, and come to this conclusion; Not
withstanding it is well.kuown fact that
Mrs. Bergh's heart is larger than his head
and the further fact that the medical frater.
nifty is almost unanimous in support of the
theory that smallpox can be stamped out
by repeated vaccination and isolation of pa
tients, it would seem to be the duty of the
government to ascertain the truth, and, hav.
ing ascertained it, throw its whole weight
upon one side or the other The chasm be.
tween DIR. Fiske and Mr. Bergh is too wide
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