St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-31
SORE ARMS FREE OF COST.

Scenes in the Health Commits
sioner's Office During Vaccina-
ton Season.
"Take off your jacket, young man,
and be quick" said gentleman to one
of group of youngsters who were
herded in the Office of the health de-
partment the other day. ''Now then,
roll up your sleeve; I'll not hurt you
but minute, and just show these boys
what a man you can be. You want to
go to school, don't you, and every boy
who goes to school has to be
vaccinated?" So, at length, after
urging and encouragement, aided
perhaps by threats from an attendant
mamma, Johnnie is ready to take his
medicine. Then Uncle Lorenzo gets
out case of virus-dipped bone points
and his bright steel Scratcher and goes
to work scraping small spot On the
scarf skin, which exposes the pink
flesh. Before his patient has begun to
feel the pain, he applies the molstened
tip of the arrow-shaped bone and rubS
in the mysterious vaccine, and the job
is over, only ''hold on there, sonny. let
it dry in before you put down your
sleeve; wait just minute. Who's next
here?"
None of the boys jumped at the
chance, but a mother quickly cOrralled
another candidate for honors in the sore
arm degree and led him up to the altar.
In the meantime, Inspector John r.
Storrs or some other official has made
out certificate of vaccination, giving
date, age and sex of the patient. and
duly signed by the assistant commits
sion of health. Lorenzo HOyt. After
half dozen or so Of the kids had been
fixed out so they might enter their
school life unchallenged by the cautious
teacher the busy guardians of public
health had an interval of leisure in
which to talk.
"The city does this work free of
charge, and we always have rush of
business at the beginning of the school
year. The opportunity, however, to
save dollar or two is an attraction that
brings us customers In almost every
month. Not long ago young lady,
very pretty and neatly dressed, came in
to the Office with her mother, and we
put the seal of guarantee against the
dread smallpox on her arm. She was
cute one, ard very modest, so she just
ripped seam in the arm of her
dress instead of rolling up the
sleeve, and-well, it was "a little
hard to get at but we managed to fix it
all right. There was another girl some
what younger who tore her sleeve out
at the shoulder to avoid the troubles of
otherwise getting at her arm. No, Eve
read about girls who were afraid of
spelling the beauty of their arms with
the scar and who were inOcuIated on
the le-limb below the knee, but they
don't come to our office to
get the work done. Most of our
patients. as you see, are children
who range in ages from six to ten years.
Many of them are brave little fellows.
Once in while one will take on and
howl; and recently one youngster, who
was earnestly watching the operation,
tainted dead away when she caught
sight Of the blood. Occasionally we
have to lasso refractory child who has
been frightened by its elders with
stories of the pain of the opera
ton. Some of the old folks have
either never been vaccinated or
else have forgotten the method.
A lady vino brought in two bright boys
the other day exclaimed, oh. dear! do
you have to lance his arm?' and was
very nervous until she saw the eldest
GO through the ordeal without fiinchIng
a muscle.
1.-THE city uses the very best vaccine
virus that can be obtained. Those
points come from vaccine stables at Oak
Park, near Chicago. and we very sell
dom have the patient return for sec
ond incubation"
Just then another troop of children
was brought in, and, as the doctor once
more prepared for business, he said:
Come in some day when YOU feel cross,
and PIl give you sore arm to growl at.
No charge for vaccination; bring the
boys in with you" FAX.