Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-01-29
Vaccination.

To he cdiior IF The .ileIundria Gu:cHs:
As vaccination has been the subject OF
much conversation and discussion in our
community, will you allow me 10 lay before
your readers few facts connected with the
subject? Although inocculation has been
known and practiSet by the Chinese and
! Hinduo races from time immemoral. vac
cnation was unknown until 1876, when Dir.
Edward Jenner, on the 1Ith Of May, took
some matter from The hand of Sarah Nelmes,
who had been infected by her masters cows,
and inserted this matter in the arm of James
Phipps, 4 healthy boy, eight years old. The
child went through the disease in Il regular
and satisfactory manner. On the first day Of
July following some matter taken directly
from small poN pustulc was inserted in
several places OIL this chld's body, but no
disease followed. Since that time the advo-
Gates of vaccination have been the great
medical teachers of England, Germany,
France and America, and its opponents Of
the present day are TO be found chiefly in
longhaired men, and shorthaired women,
who declaim against ii with us much zeal
and little reason us their prototypes
did against the new tangled ideas of
Calico and Copernious. Just here let
me state, that il am not mistaken, the
opinion OF DIR. Gregory, quoted in the GA
ZErrE OF Saturday. referred TO small poy in
London during the last century, in which
time 1865 persons died of smallpox in
that city, but as vaccination was not intro
duced until the close of that century, lie
probably spoke without experience or OBJ
seryation, and simply gave his personal op.
position to the then new idea, which he
regarded rs IN unwarrantcd innovation on
time honored custom. Now against the in
divdual opinion Of this DR.. Gregory or any
other DIR. Gregory who may subsequently
have had charge Of the London Small
pox Hospital, allow me to place the fol-
lowing official statistics Of the English Gov
ernment: From 1917 to 1881, the aggregate
strength of the British Army was 257 ,G43
men: these soldiers were distributed to
British possessions in all quarters of the
globe they were all properly vaccinated,
and were at times exposed to fearful cpl
denies Of small x,yet out of this immense
number there were but sic deaths
from small poX in the British Army for
those twenty years. In 1880 occurred that
terrible outbreak of small pox at Malta,
in population Of more than 100000
one out Of every thirty-fve persons
died OF that disease, while out of the
British soldiers, their wives and children,
all of whom were properly vaccnated the
deaths were only one in every GS2. Now
tor the statistics in civil life. The British
statistics show that for fifty years previous
to Jcnner's discovery, nine per cent of all
deaths in England were due to small pox:
the same statistics show that for fifty wears
after vaccination was introduced, only three
per cent. Of all deaths was caused by small
poX.
In Germany u still more favorable show
ing Is made. Previous to general vaccination
Ii: per cent. of all deaths were due to
small poX. After vaccination became gen.
eral the mortality Of that disease was so
reduced, that of all deaths in Germany only
of one per cent. were from small pox
In France there has been no epidemic Of
small poX since general vaccination was
practiscd in 1896. In our country the ma
tional statistics are very incomplete, but in
New York city the figures show that by
proper and judicious public vaccination that
the numhcr of cases has been reduced from
1900 III one year to II cases in 1873.
Now no wcll-posted physician will assert
that oar vaccination will protect an individ-
nal Tor an indefinite time from small pox,
but they do assert that vaccination dimin-
ishcs susceptibility TO small pox, and it does
| this IN proportion to the number of times
the individual has been successfully vac
clnate,l, and this statement can no more be
denied than the truth of problem demon
straled By Euclid. p.