The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-19
TO STAMP OUT
THE SMALLPOX
Compulsory Vaccination is
Recommended.
THE BOARD OF HEALTH
RECENTLY 1900 PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN yACCINATED.
FOUR PUBLIC VACCINATIONS AT WORK
The Mayor Has Power to Employ as Many
More as he Thinks Necessary. lis no
Longer The Pest House but the
Small Pox Hospital.

Raleigh will have compulsory yac.ina-
ton.
If it does not the fault will be with
the Board of Aldermen.
The Board of Health has, after a
thorough canvass of the situation. recon-
mended it,
If the aldermen do their duty they
will meet Immediately and take action.
one way or the other, on this recommcn-
daton.
The situation is one that DOES not
admit of delay and uncertainty.
The board of health met at 1870 IN
Ehe mayors office to consider the small
-pox situation.
In calling the board to order DR.. Nc
Kee, the City Superintendent of Health.
said that the disease had about become
epidemic and it was necessary to take
some steps to check and stamp it out.
Since Saturday night at dark seven
cases have been found in this city and
one other has been brought i'll on .ba
train from another county. Fortunately
one That is the woman who died Of
congestion of the lungs caused by an
acute attack of the disease in its febrile
state. before it broke out. Had it bro
ken out she would have had continent
and hemorrhagic small pox-bleeding at
the mouth. ears, nose and bowels and
would have been Il most loathsome oil,
ject. The other cases are mild, requir
t,,.. al
plenty of oxygen, wholesome food and
good nursing.
Vaccination is going on very nicely,
considering the number of pers ,ns en-
ployed to do it. But the force is made
quate for the number of people in the
city besides that a great many PEOPLE
are refusing to be vaccinated. And !hs
can be obviated only by compulsory vac
cination.
The worst feature of the smallpox
contagion is that the patient doesn t
know that he has it and he goes around
spreading it everywhere. In the first
stage he suffers most--has intense head
Z ache. backache, a hard chill. high fever.
blistered lips and puffed eyes. AS soon
as this is over he feels SO good lie gets
up and walks around imaginging himself
well. Whereas III reality the disease is
really in the pustular and most contf
gious stage
DR.. Battle said the most important
thing in the treatment OF smallpox is
vaccinations; and in vaccination two
things are necessary--to hurry the 'vcIk
before the disease spreads and TO make
il thorough. The former can be done
only by the employment OF sufficient
force and the latter by compulsion
The people of Raleigh are now. be-
lieve, ready for compulsory vaccination
1t has been done ut other places. Char
lotte and Rocky Mount ,laye resoried
To il with good effect. and Newbern ard
parts of Northampton county are Eow
compelling people to he vaccinated.
AT Charlotte one man was put in jail
for refusing to be vaccinltc,l and at
Rocky Mount two were sent 10 tie
roads. There is 40 question that the
Board of Health has The power il it
cares to exercise t.
"Of course the public vaccinators
ought TO exercise all sorts of persuasions
and use all proper arguments before re-
storting to the force of the law. But
the first person that refuses after these
gentler means have been used ought to
be made an example of. At the begin
ming is the time to settle whether the
rule is to be carried out or not.
Vaccination is certainly not going on
fast enough now. The situation is grave.
and it is important not only to the public
health but to the business Interests of
the city as well that the matter be as.
tended to at once.
Dr. Hubert Register endorsed what
DR.. Battle had said and favored compul-
sorry vaccination. Quarantining as