The Anaconda standard., 1899-11-20
Or. ALEXANDER IN REPLY
Explains the Compulsory Vacci-
nation Order,
HIS CHARITY WAS ABUSED
Result of His Offer to vacclnate Chill
dren Free of Charge-One Child's
Parents Worth 75,ooo-Work
of the Department.,

been made that some children have
been excluded from the schools by rea-
son of the recent compulsory vaccina-
ton order, DR.. Alexander yesterday
sent the following communication to
the Standard:
On account Of the article appearing
in Saturdays edition of your paper, en-
titled They Have a Grievance / am
constrained to offer few explanatory
statements in order that 1 may not ap-
pear in the public mind to be perpetrat-
ing an injustice upon the parents of
some of the school children who have
been affected by my recent order max
ing vaccination compulsory among the
attendants of the different city schools.
First, and probably the most import
ant statement can make, is that there
is no ordinance Of the city that requires
me as city physician to vaccinate any
school child free Of charge However,
when ! made the order felt that there
might be among the children few
who would be, on account of parental
indigency, excluded on the ORDER and,
not wishing to impose staying at home
on any child, | added to the order that
would vaccinate free Of charge any
within the city whose parents were an-
able 70 pay for them, believing that
there was human nature enough left
In any one able to pay that they would
not subject their offspring to accept
charity at the hands Of the municipal
ity But in this was disappointed, for
no sooner had the order become public
than my offices We're packed by a horde
of children, regardless of social sta
ton, color or any other line of distinc-
tion, and inquiry showed that many
were the children Of tradesmen, miners
photographers, locksmiths etc, and
that their parents We're earning good
money, and each day increased rather
than diminished the congregation that
formed at my offices. SO / decided that
something radical had to be done, and
] stated that 7 would vaccinate only
the very poorest and such as had pa
rents dependent upon the county, but
the statement did not restrain the
number of children nor the number of
mothers with fur coats and fine gar
ments who came the day following,
and the crisis came when / vaccinated
several children and later was inform
ed that their parents We're worth at
least $4,000 (this can be Substantially.
That day I made an order that each
child vaccinated thereafter should be
accompanied with an affidavit that his
parents were paupers. and this only had.
the effect had striven in a milder Way
to accomplish and the next congrega-
tion was very SmalLH ga-e$ al
Replying to the clerk of the school
board who states that ] had refused
vaccination to the children of O'Neill
Fountain and one Agnes Sullivan,
neighbors, living in the neighborhood
of 1109 East Park street. | would say
that they are in neither instance resi-
dents of the city. They We're sent to
me yesterday by Superintendent Hen
bricks and Clerk Richards and We're re-
turned with the intelligence that they.
were non-residents7 of Butte accompa-
nying them. ".
Nov, finally, about the children be-,
ing required to furnish certificates from
physicians only and as to their teach
ers examining them to ascertain the
success of their vaccination. | would
say that the operation designated as
vaccination is not a tritiing operation
and requires as much care in executing,
perhaps, as many seemingly greater
ones and the state laws of Montana
specifically say that no one but a le-
gally authorized physician shall engage
i'll the practice of medicine or perform
any surgical operation, so that vacclna-
ton is not a business but is a part or
the practice of the profession of medl-
cine, and why should any one but
physician be allowed to vaccinate any
more than he should be allowed to am
putate a leg or treat case OF pneu-
monia? However if the school authori-
ties are disposed to disregard the pre-
fession and discriminate in favor of
midwiyes and nurses and thus promote
crime and violation of the state laws,
| am disposed to let the state board of
medical examiners do any further pro-
testing that may be necessary.
sAs to teachers examining arms and
pronouncing upon their condition as to
success of vaccination l am sure
neither I nor the profession generally
shall offer anything but thanks for the
relief thus afforded
TT was with much satisfaction that |
learned of the large percentage OF
school children vaccinated, but IL Is
not sufficient that children be vacei-
mated, for smallpox is in nowise limited
10 children, and adults should also be
yaccinated if they would escape the
| disease.
"There are many who are prejudiced
against vaccination, but this should not
| surprise us, for never has vaccination
| been compulsory anWhere nor any time
that an element has not bitterly op-
| nosed it, and fortunately the disease
Usually finds it's victims among them.
1
am convinced that the rigid measures
| instituted by the health department
| has not met the approval of some; espe-
| cialIy has this been the case amons
few selfish business men who oppose
our quarantine flags and would will
| inplv see an epidemic spread rather
than make little self sacrifice.
| The health department feels JUSTIFIED in
all that has been done to eradicate the
disease and announce our policy as vac
cination, quarantine everywhere the
disease appears with guard and nag:
thorough fumigation and burning or
everything in the room not capable or
being sterilized. The above is the only
policy that will limit the spread OF the
disease.
II have acted conscientiously in ev-
cry step that has been taken. always
bearing in mind my oath of office, and
if the populace We're a unit against my
policy a consciousness of having done
right would be better reward than
public approval.
~. N. ALEXANDER,
"City Physician"