New-York tribune., 1896-09-02
TIE OEENTLON OF IICCINi TION.

The good and bad effects of vaccination h3v"
been subjects Of earnest discussion among mcd-
iral cxp,rfs almost since the frs, use Of vaccine
~ a preventive against smallpox. Although
comuaraiivcly few physicians have c"nicnd"d
that II did not reduce The prevalence of varpla
IN The districts and codniiie. vhrrr i was
rigidly adopted. many hav" believed that III"
cure was wor>. than the disease. and that IN"
uos~ihle evil results of the us' of impure lymph
were ,h. NOR, tn bc drcadc,F II was only
wear or SO ago thar a well-known German ply
stefan wrote io The German Emperor strongly
advising Ills Majesty against ~ubicclng ihr lat
tor's children Ia the incubation. But testimony
and opinion on the whole have been largely in
favor of tn. Icnncr theory. and several European
couniric, have mad" vaccination compulsory.
among Them being sweden Denmark and Ger
many. The arguments in d.f"n"" of ih" pricil'"
hav, again hc"n susiaincd 10y an important docu-
m.n, nu Nav 20 1850 IN" English IIou>" Of
Commons appointed commission to lnv'SilGal'
the subject of vaccination Among IN" member,
were Lord IIrrSchcll chairman, Sir James fag"t.
Sir Charles pal;ymplc. Sir w. Guy Hunter. Sir
Edwin lI.lry talsworihy. chairman Of ih" Met
ropoiian AsylumS Board: Mr.. SIvary. president
Of the ROYAL College of Surgeons: DR. J. ;. Rrs'
iowe. Or William !. Collins. Professor Michael
Foster secretary Of the Royal Society ana
others. fifteen in all afi"rward reduced hy death
10 twelve and again Increased lay the appoint
mcnt Of Mr. j. A. Bright io thirteen. After seven
years of pan>takng investigation. IN" Commits
sion has presented rs report To- the lower hons"
of Parliament.
OF course The main question suhmitf"d T." ~"
Commission was ~ Ia HE effect "f vaccination
in reducing the prcvarnc" Of and the mortality
from smallpox In answering ihis it WAS or
course necessary to study the progress ana prcya-
lcncc Of smallpox before Dr. Jcnncr's discovery
and compare The conditions then prevailing with
those since its application. The absence of
trustworthy statistical data was Il great obSiac"
in HE way of the Commission. Ent the records
Of Denmark Sweden and other countries ana of
London were thoroughly examined n far aS they
vent The bills of morality in The English
metropolis from i'2, on throughout the resi- OF
rhr century and the whole Of thai following show
that smallpox was very prevalent. many persons
diving from the srorrSc In hoih centuries the
disease had IN epidemic character. In" NOR
iality IN the city from tn" sam" cause in ih"
eighteenth century was aboui TWO for every l."""
Th. percent lgc of deaths IN foreign countries for
the same period was also nigh The commission
finds that the first quarter Of the nineteenth cen
tury in ENGLAND and IN other countries after
The Jenncr discovery it should h" noted was
marked by II striking decrease in smallpox. ~
London the decline was from 2.i's' III lNoo - Al
in ISIS hc~pii" the increase in population. winch
rose fro : ii -, in lsOl 10 l.lND.2.2 IN ISL. In
all the countries of Western liiop" ana i'll Amer
ica there was noteworthy decline IN The num-
hrr Of deaths from ih" disease IA 'hc first twenty
five years of lhr century. This decrease c1n br
altribulcd the report says only TO thr protective
influence Of vaccination. even ilkln" int" con
>derat.on sanitary and other Improvements. Ihr
same things arr, trlir nf the later ana more recent
periods
I'm summing M the evidence regarding The
valls, Of Vaccination. she Commissioners say:
"Thr period winch followcd the Introduction or
'fhr practice of vaccination was characterized III
all countries IN winch the practice prevailed ny
", marked though Irregular diminulon oi small
..pox morialiiy and This dmnut, ION Of mortality.
when compared With the century preceding vac
..rlnation has continued IN those countries down
10 the present time. There ha- been in the
Limited Kngdom remarkable change IN the
age Incidence Of smallpox This change in the
age incidence appears on The whole 10 nave ne
",onIr increasingly marked ~ the infaniile popu-
.f,iion oani, To he mole completely Vacclnaltd.
"On the other hand. where vaccination has been
''ncglc, ted or practically abandoned. II smallpox
"rl,dcmir has been characterized 10y II very larg"
"moriaty among children WHEN compared w;h
the mortality exhibited H. wcll-vnccina'"d
"placr visited by IN epidemic of the same dis
"casc" The Commission also finds that where
aiiacks of smallpox occur the fatality X far less
in the ease Of the vaccinaied than OF the unvac-
clnated The ailacls gre also mildcr in The
former case. The protective effect Is found to