The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-04-04
smallpox a Preventable Disease.


The aIl-absorbing topic for The past
few weeks has been on smallpox, and
for the benefit of our readers we copy
the following from the Baton Rouge
Truth:
.Some questions propounded by
Truth to DIR. j. w. Dnpree, our health
officer, and their answers"
1t has been established that small
pox can be prevented or modified by
vaccination. 1t is believed that its
spread is due 10 ignorance of or indif-
ference TO the protective influence OF
vaccination. Because unmodified
smallpox is so deadly disease, and SO
often disfgures and enfeebles those
who recover, and because by travelling,
or by travellers, by articles received IN
the mail or from stores or shops or i'll
various other ways one may at any
time without knowing it be exposed to
smallpox, it becomes important so far
as possible without injury to health
to render every person incapable of
taking the disease. This may be done
so perfectly by vaccination with genu-
inc vaccine virus that no question OF
expense or trouble should be allowed
for day to prevent the careful vacci-
nation of every man, woman and child
in Baton Rouge, aud the revaccination
Of every one who has not been vacci-
mated within five years. 1t is well es-
tablished that those who have been
properly vaccinated are far less likely
to lake smallpox if exposed to it, and
that the very few who have been prop
erly vaccinated and have smallpox
have il in much milder form and are
much less disfgured by it than those
who have not been thus vaccinated.
Who should be vaccinated? Every
body old and young, for his own in-
terest aud that he may not become q
breeding place for the distribution o:
the disease to others, should seek that
protection from smallpox which is
afforded by vaccination alone. 1t is
believed that all persons except those
mentioned in the following paragraph
may, if the operation is properly per-
formed, at the proper time and with
pure bovine virus be vaccinated with
perfect safety to themselves. Even
those who nave had smallpox should
be vaccipated, for otherwise they may
take the disease, and it seems to be
proved that large proportion of those
who have smallpox second time die
than of those who have the disease
after vaccination.
I Who should not be vaccinated
Unless exposure to smallpox is be-
lieved 10 have taken place, teethine
children, pregnant women, persons
suffering with measles, scarlet fever
crysipelas or susceptible to and recent
Ily exposed to one Of these diseases
persons suffering with skin disease oil
eruption, aud in general feeble persons
not in good health, should not be vac
cinated. In all cases in which there il
any doubt as to the propriety of vac
cinaiing, or postponiDg vaccination
the Judgment of a good physician
should be taken. The restrictions q
TO vaccinatiug teethiug children maxi
it important that children should b.
vaccinated before the tecthing process
has begun, because smallpox is yer.
much more dangerous than VACCINE
ton. Smallpox is exceedingly danger
GUS to pregnant women.
, When should a person be vacci
, mated The sooner the better, as
, rule, and especially whenever there
much liability of exposure to small
. pox. Children should be vaccinaie'
before they are four months ole
Those who have never been vaccinate'
should, with the exceptions previousl
made. be vaccinated at once becaus
the vaccination often loses its protec
tive influence after time, those VIII
have been vaccinated but once or twic
should, in order 10 test and to increas
the protective power of the forme
r vaccination, be vaccinatcd again, en-
as often as the vaccination can b
made to work. For the first three o
r four scars the protection afforded
believed to be somewhat in proportio
to the number of good scars, cond
toned always that the scars be the re
, suit of a proper vaccination wit
genuine bovine vaccine virus. l
general TO insure the maximum Q
3 protection from smallpox, one shoul
be vaccinated every five years. 1t hs
been found that those who have ha
i smallpox the proportion OF deaths
e very much less with those who hav
r two or three good vaccine scars tina
, among those who have but one. Vat
: ciua:ion as late as the second day afie
I known exposure TO smallpox is b'
lieved to have prevented the smallpo'
Vaccination the third day after expo
ure has rendered the disease niue
: milder than the usual.
I With what should one be waco
n mated? With pure bovine lymph. {
Because by its use absolute freedom
from liability TO syphilitic infection
p assured, for the bovine species is il
!. susceptible to this disease. ~ BoviI
, virus is far more effective than II
bumanized in revacciDation. (3 b
q its use more perfect or typical deye
opment of the vaccine disease is secu
ed and inferentially greater prote
ton from smallpox. (4) Great ca
! can be taken in the propagation
4 bovine virus and there need not occ'
a vaccine famine, for the supply ms
10 a1nol 10 tho Ianou1 (