Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-05
miscellaneous.
Vaccine Virus.
WHAT IT Is AND HOW IT Is OBTAINED.

EVERYBODY has heard of vaccine points
and vaccine virus. but everybody has moi
seen the same or been accorded the priv
lege of looking upon the process OF max
ing either one or the other. At the pres
ent time, when the dread epidemic Of
smallpox is raging so fiercely near our
borders and threatening to introduce itseli
among US, it is quite natural that some In.
terest should centre in the methods OF
warding off the disease on the part of the
people of New England. To the end OF
getting some information in regard to the
manner of producing the far-famed anti
dote to the terrible disease, Boston Trav-
eller reporter called upon DR.. w. &. Cut
Ter of the New England Vaccine Company
at Chelsea. and invited him to give re"
facts concerning the matter, and he gave
the following interesting history:
To begin at the beginning, l will state
that true animal vaccine was introduced to
this country by DIR. Henry Martin Of Bos-
ton Highlands. in the year 1870. The
seed which he obtained for the Introduction
of the process was from a spontaneous
case of cowpox on the udder OF milk
COW in Beaugency, France. Previous to
that time there had been no we'll attested
case OF spontaneous cowpox discovered IN
this or the old country, and never had the
true cowpox been transmitted from AMI
NAL to animal since the days of Jenner.
although vaccination had been performed
bv DR.. Ephraim Cutter of Woburn. during
the war. and virus was furnished to the
Federal army by him. This was called
retro-vaccine virus, and was taken from
the human arm and carried back into the
animal. Previous to this time, and as far
back as l843, attempts we're made to inoc-
ulate heifers with small pox derived di-
rectly from human cases, and notable
instance of this kind occurred during the
practice of one DR.. Martin of Attleboro,
Mass, who obtained virus in this manner,
and from these animals vacclnated the
townspeople.
Unfortunately this resulted in true
small pox in every case where the vaccin.
alton had been performed, many of the
victims dying, and thereby giving rise to
general epidemic in that part OF the
country. Records of this case may be
found in tie Boston Medical and Surgical
Journal of 1843, and the facts are not gen.
orally known even to physicians today.
The author of all this trouble became de
mented through remorse at what he had
done, and died in the West, insane. few
years later. Apart from this misadventure.
the lymph used in this country had been
PASSED FROM ARM TO ARM.
through long succession of transmissions
for about 70 years, and thereby in the
minds OF the leading men of the profess
sion. had become determined in its char
acteristic developments. Owing to the
sudden calls for large quantities of vac
cine virus during epidemics in this coun-
try. it was not infrequent that the supply
OF the material ran short.
Since DIR. Martin introduced the true
vaccine, several others have also engaged
in the specially, and during the following
year Drs Waterman and Garceau of Bos,
ton, DR. Foster of New York, myself and
others. established stables for the propa-
cation of the virus. Various others have
also entered the field since then. Now it
is not unusual during small pox epidemics
in large cities, when house to house vac
cination is in operation. that such city
may use from 10000 to 20. 1000 of the vac
cine "points," which will show you. per
dav. including those useC D. the Board OF
Health and private physicians. mention
this TACT because Boston, Baltimore,
Washington and Chicago vaccinated at
this rate for several days. 1t might be
needless to say that when city applies
from 10000 to 5000 of these a day, as a
means of stamping out the small pox. that
end is accomplished in from % to 90 days
This is what experience has so far gone
to show. Such might easily have been
the case in Montreal. had there been nc
opposition to the work of the physicians
Instead OF vaccinatng thoroughly from
house to house, and doing the work in
proper form. the Montreal Board of Health
have been vaccinating at the rate of SOC
per day, when they should have vaccinated
5000. A very unfortunate circumstance
occurred IN Montreal when the first cases
were imported from Chicago. Lymph OF
a very poor quality was used, which very
early in the epidemic gave rise to a most
serious objection to vaccination among the
classes. Upon the introduction of a better
quality this was overcome. so far as the
English-speaking people were concerned
The Catholic clergy seem to have been
the chief obstacle to the work of the Board
of Health among the French Canadian in
habitants of Montreal. The bishop issued
manifesto to his clergymen to advice
vaccination, which they did, but supple
mented the advice with the assertion that
the smallpox had come upon the people
as q punishment for their sins, and wheth-
err they were vaccinated or not, they would
have the disease just the same. They
further comforted their flocks with the
assurance that the smallpox had been
sent among them by an all-wise Provi-
dence, to thwart the designs of whom was
nothing short of blasphemy.
AN AMUSING INCIDENT
concerning the anti-Vaccination Society
of Montreal, and the denouement OF
which few days ago proved great help
to the Board of Health. might be stated
in this connection. 1t seems that the
editor of the characterization journal of
Montreal. having occasion to leave that
city by rail, was quarantined for inspec-
ton; not wishing to be delayed. he sub
mitted after some objection to be exam.
ined, when it was discovered that he had
two finely developed pustules of vaccina-
ton on his arm, about seven days old
This. as may be imagined, took much of
the force away from his remarks in sup
port of anti-vaccination. and has in no
small degree aided in the work of getting
the disease under control.
So far rs the traffic in vaccine is con-
cerned probably not one-sixth or one
eovanth of that orodueed uoes into tho