Morning journal and courier., 1885-11-10
DR. C. A. LINDsLRY,s VIEW

or the Public Vaccination Question: . The Board of Selectmen Advertise For BidS For she Work and Re.
 c0Ive q Letter Opposing Vacc1na.
 ton.
 Dr. c. A. Lindsley, who represents the Board of Health in the contest over the vac cine virus question, in interview said yes- terday: "It is my belief that the Selectmen are on 8 wrong tack, in the fact that cheap ness seems to be the great desideratum which they are striving for. This idea of cheapness has been made altogether too prominent, and ia not calculated to give the public confidence in the proposed operation. They will not be able to obtain the best service by the meth ods which they are pursuing. If the Se- 1ectmen were unacquainted with the proper price to be paid for such work a moro ju- dicious way would have been fer them to have invited two or three we'll known phy- sicians to confer with them and thus decide what was proper price. Then let them offer it. In that way they would not compel the physicians to lower their self-rsspect and degrade themselves in the estimation of the profession by entering into picayune com petition with each other for the few cents per capita which will be given for this work. They may secure a few practitioners of med icins to do the work and go into competi ton with each other in the manner pro- posed. But the physicians of New Haven who have self-rsspect and who stand in good regard with their professional brethren will scarcely care to sacrifice their position for the little return that would be received. I will not take time to emphasize what would seem to be an axiom, namely, that the best virus to be had is the only kind to be used for public vaccination or any other. Now it has been argued that sixty-one physicians in New Haven use the New England virus and that quantities are used in other places. I will tell you why it is used by these physi- cians Until & week ago there was no other kind which could be obtained in New Haven. Now of all operations which physicians per form, that of vaccination is the most unproft- able. When a patient comes to the office, $1 is the maximum fee and when we visit tho house g. Very frequent 1y only half price is charged the poor people. A patient desires to be vaccinated. The physician says to himself, it will take two days to write to Boston and get some of Dr.. Martins virus. The virus is very perishable and one quill is all that want. If the er- ation is not successful will have to write again, and perhaps half dozen times. For all this he only receives one fee. Just see the trouble the physician has for this fee to take the risk of using virus that may be good-and much of it is-but which he knows is not the best. The fact that much ot this virus is sold is against it, for the manufacture of all of it cannot be so carefully watched as so impor- tant operations should be. There are things known about the manufacturer of this virus that are not credit to his honesty.
 'fIn my judgment bad management has pre- vailed. The law upon this matter is as fol- lows:
 Boards of health may adopt such measures for the general vaccination of the inhabitants of their respective towns as they shall deem proper and necessary to prevent the introduction or arrest the progress of smallpox and the expenses in whole or in part of such general vaccination shal upon thefr:order, be paid out of the town treasury.
 According to the law I don't see the ne- cessity for the Selectmen to call a meeting or by what authority they have assumed the prerogatives of the New Haven Board of Health, which has jurisdiction by it's charter over both town and city,"
 ''It has been asserted, doctor, that you have personal interest in the use of Martins virus"
 ''They lie," replied Dr. Lindsley with great intensity. Whenever I want any virus ] send my $1 to Boston and get seven quills and always have. never received 8 favor from that concern and could receive nc bene- it from it's use in New Haven. My inter est in it's use is because I know that it is the best and most reliable"
 The Board of Selectmen yesterday adver- tised for bids for the work of vaccination which will be opened at a meeting of the Board soon to be held. During the day 8 letter was received by the Selectmen from John Mckinley, of New York, stating that public vaccination should be opposed in any form.