The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-13
SMALLPOX.
A History OF the Dread Dlseasc-Pre.
YentiOn by Vaccination

vention by Vaccination
The smallpox is believed to have pre-
val ed more or less in Eastern countries
from the earliest ages. but its early his
tory is shrouded in obscurity. Some
have thought that 1.-The plague of boils
and blains" recorded in the Bible had
reference to this disease. Certain men
ton of epidemics in the Greek writings
may, it is thought, refer to the small
pox; and the deadly plague in France in
the sixth century, described by Gregory
de Tours, is believed by some writers to
have been this disease. But though the
smallpox was known long before in the
Orient. there is no unmistakable record
of it's appearance in Europe until it was
brought thither by the Saracens about
the year 710. And it is the more prob
able that this was the first appearance OF
the disease because it has never been
wholly absent from European countries
since. From Spain it went all over Eu-
rope, sparing for time certain isolated
countries, such as Denmark, where it
first appeared in 1927. 1t was
carried to the West Indies in 1917
by the adventures seeking to profit By
the discovery of the New World. 1t
reached Mexico in 1920. and Brazil in
1868. Farther north it first appeared in
Maryland, having been brought there by
an English ship in the early part of the
seventeenth century. Thence it made
its way through the other colonies.
From the time of its first appearance un'
til its ravages began to be checked, first
by inocuation and then by the milder
and safer process of vaccination, it con-
tinued it's course as deadly pestilence,
nearly always and everywhere present,
though not continuously active and
sparing neither age, sex, condition, moi
nationality, no one being safe from it
except by having previously passed
through It's perils. From very earle
times the Chinese followed the practice
of procuring this exemption by inocu
lating with the disease, that is, convey
ing it Intentionally by introduction oil
the contagious material into the sys'
TEN of persons in health. The inocu-
lated disease was found to have mildel
and shorter course than the natural con-
tagious smallpox and showing a NOR
tallty of less than one per cent. while
the other ranged from ten per cent. in
its mildest to 20 per cent. and higher In
it's malignant form. The iuocu lation
process found its way from the Orient
into Europe by way of Constantinople,
where it was openly introduced in the
year 1701. The first incubation in Eng
land was performed in 1922, on th,
daughter of Lady Mary Wortley Mon.
tague, wife of the British ambassador to
Constantinople. 1t was violently op'
posed at first, but gradually
came into extensive practice and
was also adopted in Cont
mental countries. In America it was first
practiced in 1921 by DR.. Boylston, of
Boston. incubation, however, though
it served as a protection against the more
fatal form of the disease, yet was an OBJ.
jectional process, as the contagion of tn.
disease was in no way lessened, and 1t
thus became more widely spread. But
in the year 1898 the process of vaccina'
tion, or inoculating with the cow-pox,
was shown by DR.. Jenner to be a thor.
ough protection against smallpox, and
this method has since been used. 1t has
proved an incalculable benefit to the hu.
man race. Smallpox, unchecked by
vaccination. was the most fatal of the
Zymotic diseases. With the aid of this
practice, however, not only has its NOR
tality been greatly lessened, but the dis
ease Can now be to great extent con-
trolIed and even prevented. 1t is diftl.
cult to describe the symptoms of this
disease so that an inexperienced person
can recognize them. One who has seen
one case, however, cannot fail to know
another instantly. Whenever there is
the least suspicion that there has been
exposure to infection, physician should
b. consulted. The initial stage of the
disease is usually ushered in by violent
chill, followed by a high fever, attended
with vomiting and severe pains in the
head and back. With child, convul-
sious usually attend this stage. The
eruptive stage is marked by the appear
ance of little red elevations of the skin,
which come first upon the head and face,
and alter few hours begin to appear on
the body and limbs. These feel at first
like little hard seeds under the skin, and
by this characteristic may be known
from eruptions of any other kind