The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-03-10

student in 1859, the varioloid made it's
first appearance after the introduction of
vaccination, and | was then extensively
engaged in vaccination and re-vaccina-
tiou. studied the disease and its CT
fects, SO far as the public was concerned
with extreme care, and noe find no diff
ference III its appearance, Or III its pre-
sentative effects from what they were
at that time | have in almost all in
stances used the crust. Sometimes have
punctured the veslcle and taken the
lymph on glass. In a few very few, in
stances among the thousands have vac
cinated, taken from arm to arm. But |
never could perceive any difference, and
| believe that one is no better than the
other ] have taken patients after vac
cinatiOn to cases of malignant small poX
in small and hot stove rooms and eX-
posed them to the foul atmosphere for
fifteen or twenty minutes, secure from
danger. In one case OF a mother with six
unvaccinated children, one at the breast,
who had a severe attack of small poX,
as soon as | discovered the nature of the
case | vaccinated all the children from a
vaccine crust, and they all took the vac
cine disease. The room-it was in Feb
ruary-was small ten by twelve feet
one, with a hot template stove. and but
one bed, on which they all slept, and
which was saturated with small pox con
tagion; yet these children picked oil the
scabs from their mothers body. and the
baby nursed at her breast and no one
took the smallpox. Had | time this
morning | could multiply instances of a
similar kind. | have the almost r0Af-
dehce in Meprotectire powerof racciHation,
and feel sure that the C Uses of failure
are very much more attributable to the
use of vitiated vaccine matter x 4
than to any insutticiency of genuine
vaccination. | have been very CAREFUL
myself. and hare enioined it upon my
students ard younger professional breth-
EN-, never to use crust taken from an
uHcleaH child: nor, unless the extreme
urgency of the case demanded it to vac
cinate Il child affected by any eruption.
1t is the only way in which that foul dis
ease, smallpox, can be eXterminated."
In the published opinion Of DR.. Ste
vens> which the above views of DIR. Atlee
sustain, DR.. Stevens says, THAT he be-
lieves that lie has examined more vaccin-
ated children than any man alive or who
ever lived. He finds no ground what.
ever for the suspicion that the present
arm. to arm lymph has lost its true and
original Jennerian character. lie t!enes
it altogether lie says, Il can positively
state that. examining dozens of recently
vaccinated children every day of my life,
and that during long series Of years,
do not believe that our arm-to- arm lymph
affords any less protection than it ever
did, Before offering any further evid-
ence as to the protective character of
vaccination, brief review of
THE HISTORY OF VACCINATION
seems pertinent in this connection. and
which we take from Bristowe's Theory
ana Practice of Medicine. A belief in
the protective influence of cOwpox against
variola seems to have been commonly
entertained in Worcestershire, England
during the latter half of the 18th cent
ury, it having been popular notion there
as well as in other dairy districts, that
mixers, who had been infected with
cow-pox, were afterwards insu sceptible of
smallpox. A similar belief appears to
have prevailed during the same period in
some parts OF Germany. 1t is said. in
deed, that school-master named Plett,
in Holstein, vaccinated two children in
the year 171l and it seems to be esta-
blished that an English farmer. named
Benjamin Jesty, performed the same
operation on his wife and two sons in the
year 1774. The value of vaccination was
however, first established on a solid basis
by the scientific Investigations of Edward
Jenner, whose attention was directed to
= ha s,,1,,n,t -hila ho of
tice, and whose first publication in refer
ence to it, appeared in the year 1898.
Since then its practice has been adopted
throughout the whole civilized world ::
that the claim which ,Tenner originally
made for it-namely, that it is as protec-
tive against subsequent attacks Of small
pox. as an attack of small poX itself is.
and neither more or less so--has been
verified by universal experience. that ex-
perience and experiment have alike shown
that its protective influence is in no de-
gree diminished by it's continued trans
mission from man to man; and, lastly.
the smallpox has died out or diminished
in severity, in exact proportion as etfici-
ent vaccination has been generaliZed. i
is certain. indeed, that thorough vacc!ral
incubation confers in most cases absolute
exemption for life: but that in M
eases the protective influence dimini.heS
in the course of years, ST. that If the pat
lent contracts smallpox he has it i'll a
modified and mild form and that where
smallpox has been rife, or epidemics
have prevailed, the unwonted occurrence
of the disease has been distinctly traced
to neglect of vaccination, or to imperfect
vaccination, or both.
Tabulated results of the experience at
the Small pox Hospital, during 90 Years,
show at glance the accuracy of the
above statements.