The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-08

themselves individually or to the
world generally-is sure to meet with
and this opposition is
given purely because of the novelty
of the idea proposed. although besides
this idea, and except il, the idea has
not one single condemnatory feature,
but on the contrary appears to be full
of excellent things. Compulsory vac
cination to many will be novel. and
for this reason they will feel at first
like opposing it, but if they desire TO
consider the matter fairly must diveSt
their minds entirely of this prejudice
and balance the merits of the sugges-
ton fairly and evenly. The objec-
lions to compulsory vaccination, or
rather to vaccination itself, are that 1t
does no good; that it not only does not
prevent smallpox but it introduces
disease of other sorts, and in these
two objections is summed up about
all the opposition there is to it. That
they would be amply sufficient is no
doubt true if they held good. But are
they good objections? Vaccination.
we venture to say, is philosophical
and founded on the commOnest of
common sense. The human body is
apt to engender disease from various
causes. Much of this disease could
and can be prevented by keeping the
stomach clean and the bowels open;
but. as too frequently is the case,
both these preventiveS are neglected
and the disease grows deeper till it
gets well settled in the blood or syS-
TEN. Nature tries to throw this off
often through the minor skin dis
eases and frequently succeeds. But
there are certain poisons IN the
blood that will not he ousted in
this mild way, and smallpox is
one of them. The physician, to cope
with this, tries a counter-irritant, or
he tries to attract the poison to one
spot, and the philosophy of this may
be seen in the very simple experiment
of rubbing the arm or body in one
particular spot, or in any other fric-
ton that will attract the attention of
the nerves or blood, us il were, TO one
locality. So it is with the virus of
smallpox. If a person is vaccinated
or inocultated, the poison is attracted
to the particular spot, and there finds
by rupture an outlet. and through
this outlet flow the poison particles,
and the body becomes cleansed. That
is the whole matter put simply and
briefly, and we venture the assertion
that the position is sound and logical,
and we think unassailable.
Going on, then, to the second oh
lection that vaccination intro
duces disease. At times this is UNI
doubtedly true, but it is true
because the operation is performed
wit impure vaccine matter, and never
true where the vaccine is pure lymph
from the COW or calf. | never yet
have heard of case where disease
was introduced where the lymph was
pure. When children are inocculated
from other children, no matter how
apparently healthy they may look,
there is a danger of lurking disease
being introduced; and it stays in the
system because its nature is different
from that of the disease being treated.
This, and only this, is why VAGINA
ton ever introduces disease; and, as 7
have before stated, this introduction
is not because of vaccination, but
because it is not rightly performed
with the proper vaccine matter. The
two objections then, it will be seen, are
really not serious in country like
Texas, where pure vaccine is not
difficult to obtain, and il ordinary care
is taken. This ordinary care being
taken, vaccination becomes not only
not risky, but an absolute blessing,
both to individuals and communities.
1t is common sense that person who
has been cleansed of smallpox impur-
tiles is less liable to catch the disease
than one who has not. am not, how
ever, of the opinion of the common
believers in vaccination, that one op-
Grafton in lifetime is enough; 1t is
said that the entire person is changed
once in seven years, and at the end of
every seven years there is not one sin
gle particle remaining in the body of
that body of the seventh previous
year. If this be true it would seem
that vaccination should be performed
more than once in an average lifetime,
and think that at various periods
of time the operation should be
ment and constitution of the subject.
Then. again, the circumstances of the
location, etc, of Texas would be
reason why vaccination compulsory
should become q law. The st1ee is
exposed to the inroads of the disease
from every side-by immigrants and
infected matter, coming in from other
countries. Texas is an asylum for the
poor of the world. We welcome
them here, as a state where they can
get homes, and we throw open the
roads of the state and invite all to
come and welcome. Now it is we'll
understood fact by the very nature of
poverty that the poor are more liable
to be neglected, and do become so by
their poverty in every respect. The
rich have money and means to care
for themselves, and are cared for bet
ter than the poor. This of itself
is powerful argument for
compulsory sanitary laws. One in
fected case may poison whole CON-
and that community whole
people. Infectious diseases are like
prairie fires; they begin in one little
spot, but they devastate the whole
country. 4 COMMUNITY has as much
rights 10 enforce compulsory vaccina-
ton (properly done) as it has to en-
force drainage and general sanitary
laws, and one is as important as the
other. They are both on the same
and both of vital import
ance to the body polite.