The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-13
SAFE VACCINATION.
No Instrument Better Than q Common
Needle to Be Used Once Only.

No Instrument BeICer Ihan q mon
Needle to Be Used Once Only.
Permit me to offer some suggestions for
the benefit both of the profession and of the
public with reference to vaccination
Under the heading "An Economical
Handy and Safe Vaccinating Needle" oc-
ours the following: Highly to be feared
whenever person Is vaccinated is Infection
by means of the lancet or needle If the
operator does not take the precaution to
steriize the instrument each time by pass.
ing it through a fame or By holding 1t In
boiling water. To reduce this risk TO
minimum the desire was expressed in tbs
discussion on vaccination In the Academic
de Medicine de Paris that in future every
person should be inoculated with an in
strument used for that one person alone" 4"
Admitting that this desideratum could
be easily realized IN operating on a small
number of persons. it becomes very diff
ferent matter when large agglcmeratlon
has 70 be vaccinated."
1t may be pertinently asked, does large
agglomeration, instead of small number
of persons, Justify in the remotest degree
any departure from the only safe and reli-
able method of vaccination. either primary
or secoudary9
The common writing pen as lancet,
adopted by DR.. Mareshall, Of the French
army, cannot be any more economical,
handy or safe" than the common No.
sewing needle, such as has been most sue
cessfully used by the health department of
this city for the last few years.
This can be used with or without any
form of needle holder. So long as needle
or pen for one person alone is used and
thrown away there can be no possibility OF
conveying any other injection than the
vaccine virus.
The special point of objection is with
reference to the remark that 'the needle or
pen used once may be used again without
risk when it has been steElized in boiling
water or by heat"
1t may not be denied that instruments
once used may be so sterilized and rem
dered safe for subsequent use, but the
temptation or accidental use of the same
needle or pen or lancet without steriliza-
ton or disinfection should beput beyond a
possibility.
The inexpensive sewing needle, every
where procurable, presents the most eco
nomical, handy and safe" vaccinating in
strumens ever suggested, and its being
thrown away-into the fire by preference
after its first use offers the safest guaran-
tee of immunity from spurious infection
during this operation
No truly enlightened and conscientious
medical man, with the light of bacteria
logical science before him, can possibly ig-
more the fact Of the danger of transmitting
some form of disease by the use of an in
strument previously used, unless thor
oughly steriliZed or disinfected. Surgeons
of the present day are especially cautious
in this respect, every instrument before
use being carefully cleansed, sterilized and
disinfected.
In the case of vaccination of large num-
bers, such as the army or navy, on board
of ships, in schools or public dispensaries,
hospitals or communities where there may
have been an outbreak of smallpox and
where time is an important element, steril-
ization and disinfection of instruments is
impracticabe The expense of few hun
dred sewing needles thrown away or de.
stroyed is but feather in the balance as
against the risk of the danger of infection.
No contamination accident can possibly
occur.
This has been the experience in the
health department of this city since the
dOOpGlOu Ol lu6 SS"lUS lSculC dS IuO SA-
elusive instrument for all vaccinations, pri-
mary or secondary.
The convenience and the rapidity with
which large numbers have been vaccinated
in our large public schools and institu-
tions, lodging houses, factories, etc, by
this method have proved most satisfactory,
and the positive results show very large
percentage both in primary and secondary
vaccinations.
Any person or parent or guardian Of
children about TO be vaccinated should pro-
test and refuse vaccination, whether by
family physician or public officer, unless
the instrument had been unused previous
ly, or was sterilized and disinfected in his
presence. In no other way can he be as
sured of entire safety. With these precau-
tions concerning the instrument and with
the use of only fresh bovine vaccine virus,
the operation becomes safe and should be
repeated once in about seven years inter
val. And could this rule be adopted thor
oughly and systematically in all countries
the terrible disease of smallpox would be-
come effectually eradicated. Nor
ris, ". D., in New York Herald.