The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-01-26

Vaccination is the process by which vac
cinia or COW pOx is introduced into the human
system as a protection against small pox. The
COW poX is a disease that originates in the
cow, and manifests itself by little veslcles
which form on the udder, and which, in the
process of milking break, and the liquid
which is discharged from the vesicles often
produces sores of similar description on the
hands of the mixer.
In the county OF Gloucester, and various
other portions of England, there was. for a
long time, a general belief that mixers who
had been affected by COW pox were not sus
ceptible TO small pox. This belief attracted
the attention of Edward Jenner, who was APP
plenticed to a surgeon at Sodsbury, near Bris-
toll, and about 1868 he began to investigate the
truth of this common opinion among the peo-
pie. He found by experiment that those who
had been affected with cow pox were not af-
fected by small poX virus when inOculated
with it directly from small pox patient. But
it was not until after many experiments and
years of patient investigation that Edward
Jenner, who first conceived the idea of inecu-
lating the human with COW pox virus, made
public his discovery to the world in the year
179S.
When the virus is first introduced into the
system by means of vaccination, there is gene
rally period of from two to ten days in
which it does not make itself manifest. Ordi-
narily, however, about the third day slight
elevation may be seen at the point where the
virus was introduced, and, which, after a few
days becomes a vesicle and about the ninth or
tenth day a ring of inflammation begins to
form around it, For several days the ring in
creases in size and is often attended with con
siderable swelling and hardness. This ring OF
inflammation, is proof that the vaccination
was successful one; about the end of the
second week hard dark colored scab forms
which usually separates about the end OF the
third week.
Frequently in adults, there is tenderness
and enlargement of the glands OF the arm pit
and in children there is often noticed decided
fever, and some times RASH is seen resemb
ling scarlet fever or the first invasion of chick
en- pex, but it it is usually very transitory and
seldom lasts longer than five or SIX days
1t is advised not to vaccnate person who
is sick or who has any skin disease, but this
precauton is to be disregarded when small
peX is prevalent.
AS quite large number of deaths from
small pox occur in children under one year OF
age it is advisable to vaccinate infants when
two or three months old-before teething be-
gins to give them trouble
Regarding the efficiency of vaccination as Il
protection from small peX, medical authorities
almost without exception, agree, and extend
ed observations, by physicians everywhere
through nearly a century, teaches it to be
almost sure safeguard from this dreaded dis
ease
Some high authorities assert that one sue
cessful vaccination is sufficient for life time
others of equal authority advise one vaccina-
ton in childhood, and a second one on arriy-
ing at manhood or Womanhood, while still
other writers on the subject affirm that it is
safest to apply FOR vaccination every seven OF
eight years, especially if small pox is prevail
ing.
The humanized virus is preferred and very
generally used in England, the physicians
there believing it to be protection as efficient
as the COW pox and its effects less severe, anC
they declare it impossible to transmit scrofula
or any other disease by means of humanizeC
virus.
Others, however, believe that disease may
be thus transmitted, and in the United States
at present, the non humanized virus is PREFER
ed and in Indiana and some other States the
use of humanized virus is prohibited.