The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-05
rnE LATEST sM lLLpox EPIDEMIC

matter without prejudice that when a
community Is saved from smallpox by
vaccination, the disease that it is saved
from is not smallpox but something
else. Aud the rules that sometimes APP
pear to be observed by pro-vaccinists IN
deciding whether small pox exists or not
may be BRIEFLY summarized as follows
| (1) il you are unvaccinoted and die of
the disease II is smallpox; (2) IL you are
vaccinated and die it isn't smallpox, or
] II 1t is, 1t is complicated with something
| else; (S) II you are yacclnated and have
smallpox and live, that is due to vacci-
| nation; (4) il you are unvaccnated and
| have smallpox and live it wans't smallpox
that was the matter with you or, if it real
ly was, you are lucky.
The most recent outbreak OF smallpox
reported is that in Gloucester, England,
In the county OF EwARD JENNER, the
"discoverer of vaccination.
II appears that the good folk in JEN-
NER's home district have had so little
faith in their prophet that In recent years
they have paid scant attention to vacci-
nation and accordingly the recent cpl
demic aroused good deal OF interest and
warmed up the vaccination question in
England in fine style. The pro-vaccin-
lists pointed to Gloucester TO demon
strate the dire results OF neglect OF vacci-
nation, while the anti vaccinists
demonstrated that far worse outbreaks
had occurred in well-vacciuated COM
munties and that in Gloucester the
disease was confined to the filthy section
OF the town, although the neglect OF vac
cination has been general oil over town.
The London correspondent OF the Sunday
Journal on April 20 informed his readers
that IL was hoped that something decisive
would be learned from the Gloucester
case, but the Journal itself, after its
usual half-shot fashion, decided all about
1t without waiting for the results
OF the investigation then In progress
On April 27, the day following the
publication OF its LONDON letter the infor-
nation in which was Of n kind to throw
public discredit on vaccination, The
Journal editorially took occasion to cor
rect the impression that would be receiv-
ed from reading OF its London letter by
pointing out the awful seeBditieH- of the
recently smitten town OF Gloucester"
There is compulsory vaccination law
in England, but the good people of
Gloucester, who ought to know as much
about JENNER and vaccination as any
body, don't obey 1t and the local ofijc
wink at the neglect and make joyful
farce Of the penalties prescribed. Accord
ing to The Journal editorial, in the
"smitten town OF Gloucester" "seven
hundred cases had developed up to March
2s," and "as almost none OF the patients
have been protected by vaccination, it
does not surprise one to learn that the
percentage of death has been twenty
FIVE" No.wonder the o-yaccinists were
gIeeful at 30 much horror and the oppor-
tunity Afforded to cry: az told you
SOL" Verify, quoth The Journal on
April 27, "this indicates what immense
possibilities Of evil will be involved in
the return OF the disease to towns
where vaccination is not compulsory"
1t now appears that this most excellent
argument is knocked galley west by an
error OF some little consequence in the
hypothesis that investigation OF the out
break has disclosed. In a word, the un-
vaccinated and "smitten" town of
Gloucester was not smitten by small pox
at all Later English advices state that
the disease that smote Gloucester was
typhoid fever and we suppose that no
Woulu tlhlm tndt VACCINE
tion would have prevented that.
That settles the interesting Gloucester
episode that gave so much hope to the
British pro-vaccinists for recovery
against the facts as recorded in England
that generally the best vaccinated towns
have had the most small pox. Sheffield.
for instance, the best vaccinated town
in England, had seven thousand cases
OF small pox in its last seige and it is not
hard to recall the outbreak in Chicago, |
right at home, only two years ago, which
was tremendous epidemic although Chi |
cago had probably done more vaccina-
ting than any other city in the United
States. There was evidence to show that
the Chicago epidemic was started by