Daily Republican., 1883-10-13
VAccln alton.

Vaccin alton.
The action of the Board of Education
ut It's last meeting, in passing a resolu-
ton requiring all the children to be
vaccinated, is calling forth some severe
criticism from those who beliel in the
largest personal liberty and who cling
to the idea that this is a free country and
they are at liberty to do pretty much as
they please. In the objections urged
against the action of the Board it seems
to be partially forgotten that it has no
discretion in the matter other than to
enforce law passed by the late Legis'
lature in reference to vaccination.
Whatev er, therefore,i is wrongi in the law,
should be charged against the Legisla.
ture and not against the Board of Edu-
cation-in fact the latter body in its
loniency has already committed an in
frac ion of the law by no. putting it in
force as soon as the schools opened on
the first of September. Amongst those
who look upon the action of the Board
n arbitrary in the extreme is " Veritas
ct ibertas, in a communication to the
REPUBLICAN on Thursday. 1t will! be
no breach OF confidence for US to state
that the author of the communication
il an intelligent gentleman and medi.
cal practitioner of the old school whose
views are entitled to respect. This gen
tlemen takes the ground that the action
of the Board is not only an extremely
arbitrary measure, but the further
ground that vaccination is not only
no protection against the small
pOx, but that IL SOW, the germs of other
diseases thousand fold worse than
smallpox. When doctors disagree then
who is to decide?
We will, before We close, refer to the
evidence of other physicians who take
y different view of vaccination from our
learned correspondent, but for the pres.
ent let us see whether the law in ques-
ton is arbitrary. We are told by the
same gentleman that the law is uncou.
stitutional. This may or may not be,
but being no lawyer We will let that
assertion liein statu que Butts the
law arbitrary We take the ground
that it is not unnecessarily So at least NJ
more arbitrary than laws of all kinds
usually are. Taking it for granted for
the present that small -pox is a loath
some infectious disease, extremely vic.
lent and fatal in It's attacks, what are
the provisions OF the law that has beer
passed to circumvent, and, in some
mea sure, prevent the disease FRS
the law requires all children to be vac
cinated upon their admission to tn,
public schools. This does not seem ar
bitrary when We consider the danger
GUS character of the disease. Here
is a gathering of children who come to
gether from all classes Of society and
from all the walks Of life however higl
or however humble. One child unfor
disease in some manner may inoculatt
the whole school with smallpox ant
the loss OF many lives may be the con
sequence. A law to prevent this, must
under the nature of things, be more O.
less severe and arbitrary. In fact al
laws pertaining TO the proven ton Of th'
cF ,,,f, Ia l..
more or less arbitrary as they involv'
matters of life and death and it be
comes a question whether d number 0
school children shall be vacciuated,
rigid quarantine established or whethe
school or community shall run til
risk of becoming victims of an unusual
ly fatal di ,ease.
This law, which is said to be arbi
trary, does not even entail any expense
upon those who have not been vaccine
ted Learned and skilled Physician
have been designated, whose duty ii j
to perform the operation without an
charge, he being paid by either til
city or county. Then again the autho,
of this law seen to have been 50 Garrett
to protect individuals, and save tnei
from annoyance, that the proof of hay
ing been vaccinated, which eyemp,
from re vaccination, consists only in
certificate from the family physical
that vaccination has been successful
performed in the past, and hence ther
il no need Of re-vaccination. These IT
quirements surely do not appear arbi
trary, nor as taking away our liberte
when the importance If being vaccine
ted is properly understood.
But the great question at issue, {
raised by our correspondent is, do,
vaccination, in any sense, preveI
small-poX, or does it, in any mamie
ameliorate the rigors of the disease all
save the lives Of those attacked by it
This is a question upon which our co
respondent appears to be at varian,
with our best local Inedica authorize
and authorities in general We da
tics upon that question are not as re
able as English statistics II it reall
is so that nineteen per cent. of Slnal
pox cases in French and German hos,
tails is the ratio of deaths wi1hOut va,
cinatiOn, and nineteen and a-half
the ratio with vaccination, il presents
fla contradiction to the gathered staff
tics of Eng ish vaccination, The test
mony Of our neutrality-suspicious., DDcto
Ogle and Springer, in charge Of Il
county smallpox hospital, tiatly re!ut
the evidence offered by our learned &C
respondent. Coinciding with them
the evidence of DR.. Kane, a leadil
physician Of our city, who, at the !
quest Of the state Board of Health, pr