The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-09-30
SHALL WE HAVE SMALL Pox?
Danger Of the Infection lncreas-
Ing Daily,

The daily papers are constantly filed
small pox, in Canada. and many precau-
lions are being taken to prevent the
spread of the sickening scourge in this
state In spite of all these precautions,
the danger is now greater than ever be
fore Small pox Is a winter disease Som
ersct county joins the infected portions of
Canada road runs direct from those
regions of infection, into the heart of
this county and SO on to the very centre
of the state. There is constant stream
of travel from Canada, to this portion of
the state, and if the dire disease is not
brought here, ii will be nothing short of
a miracle a well known physician says,
that but few of the scholars in our pub
lie schools have ever been vacinatcd,
while it is well known that very small
proportion of the adult population have
been yacinated of late If ever The
French Canadians are opposed to yaci-
nation and it is a rare thing to find one
who has undergone the operation. This
neglect of vaccination coupled as it is,
with our close relations with Canada,
make it almost certain. that we shall
speedily be visited with the Scourgc UNI
less prompt measures are taken to arrest
it.
The most alarming danger just now is
that OF the great herd of ucn. who annu-
II IL IL H., 81,
woods more or less of them will come
laden with the germs OF small pox, and
from them, the disease will attack whole
camps crew. The result of such thing
| is too terrible to contemplate. Not only
would many valuable lives be sacrifice,
but many of our largest operators would
| find prosperous winters opcratian nip
| ped in the bud, and the result would
entail untold loss upon them. A sing
lie case of small poX in one of our camps
would stampede the whole crew. The
same would result if a case should break
out in one of our manufacturing establish
mcnts. 1t would not only clear out the
MILL but put stop to the shipment OF all
products, on account of the fear that they
might bear and scatter the contagion of
the disease. The sole Trustworthy rene
| dy to obviate these dangers, is through
vaccination, and rc-vacination. The i'm
portance of re-vacnation is strcnuously
insisted upon, by the Board of Health,
and by all other public health organiza-
tons, throughout the world.
DR.. A. G. Young, the secretary of our
State Board of Health, was in town last
week, to see the authorities, and confer
with them, as well as with the owners of
our mills, and try and secure their earnest
cooperation in this matter of vaccination.
He also proposes to see if he cannot get
the National Board of Health to establish
an inspector at Moose River, to examine
all parties who come this way, and SEE
that they are yacinatcd. Those authori
ties who have the most to do with thes,
matters claim that recent careful ant
successful vaccination or re-vacination
protects as thoroughly from smallpox a.
does an attack of smallpox itself. TIL,
|
for months in clothing, when it is no
carefully cleansed and disinfccted, ant
, for this reason there is very great dang
er that some of our numbering operations
will be ruined this winter, unless thci
agents who hire the men. demand tina
, every man engaged shall produce not on
ly "clean bill of health,'' as the quaran
tine officials say but that he shall presen
, satisfactory evidences, that he has been
not merely yacinatcd, but that he shal
have been lately vacinated.
The State Board of Health is doing al
it can to keep off the danger. but in rcaii
+ ty the real work must be done by the PEG
pie themselves, and no persons in are pc
sition to do more not only for the public
generally, but also for themselves. thar
the manufacturers and lumbermcn, il
demanding that every person whom they
employ, shall be well vacinatcd'