The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-12

tainly have smallpox unless vaccin-
ated. which no one indeed can show.
1t is needless to claim that phyal-
clans can tell before hand that any one
will ever have smallpox, whether vac
cInated or not, and much less can they
tell before hand what will be the de-
gree Of mallgnancy or the severity Of
the attack in any single case; and II
they cannot prove that any one win
have smallpox at all with vaccination,
how can they prove that vaccination
ever prevents? And II they cannot
prove beforehand what will be the de-
gree Of severity Of any attack that may
occur. how can they prove that vace!n-
alton ever mltigates?
No person can possibly prove that
vaccination ever prevents smallpox,
for the reason that no one is able to
show in advance that any person would
ever have smallpox following vacclha-
ton would have been worse or better
without vaccination is impossible to
know or prove unless we can know and
prove beforehand what me severity OF
the case would be without vaccination,
which is impossible. We cannot, In the
present state Of medical science, pre-
dict an attack. or the degree Of severi-
ty Of the disease, nor can we eliminate
all sources OF error in reaching correct
conclusions by way of experiments.
Please consider this.
1t Is positive evidence to one who can
and will reason that by no possibility
can any benefit from vaccination be
proved. We know that the profession
appeals to statistics, but these are un-
fortunate as proof, for two reasons.
First, the statistics are prepared by the
profession itself, and that fact makes
the evidence exparte, and so invall-
dates It; that vaccination prevents
smallpox, the more intelligent Of the
profession no longer claim.
The proof that the theory Of preven-
ton, as espoused by Jenner, has been
everywhere abandoned, is found in the
fact that the vaccInists admit the nee
essIty of re-vaccInation, but do not
agree on the period that may be allow
ed or in necessity between successive
revacclnatIons; and we have further
proof that they have no confidence
themselves in vaccInatlon,or even In re-
vaccination, in the fact that they ad-
yocate compulsory vaccination. II
their own theories Of safety are true,
II we accept the theory OF the yaccin-
lists that efficient vaccination and re-
vaccination are in any degree. then al
who so believe may have the full bene-
FITS Of vlcclne virus without reference
to whether others receive the same or
not. 1t is carrying our protecting care
too far when we insist that surgical
operation shall be performed on the
person of another against his will be-
cause we ourselves believe 1t will be
good for him.
II It is a good thing everybody will
want It Just as soon as Its benefits can
be made to appear. A hungry man
needs no urging to eat, nor does sick
man refuse any medicine, but well
man is fully justified in refusing any
thing that will make him sick or in any
way endanger his life,
1t is admitted by medical men that
vaccination produces constitutional
disease. and disease is hateful thing
to everybody. 1t is not disease. but
health that the authorities should fos-
ter and promote. The only reason Of
fered for denying to unvaccinated chill
dren the privileges Of the public school
Is first. That they are liable to take
smallpox and infect the entire school.
Now, setting aside all professional
learning and appealing to the common
sense OF the entire people, we venture
to declare that this objection to allow
ing healthy children to attend school Is
utterly baseless and senseless.
None but person affected with dis
ease can possibly infect another. It is
the vaccination, the disease. and not
the unvacelnated that are source OF
danger,
There is only one possible motive on
the part of the profession for excluding
children from school because they will
not be vaccinated. and that is to drive
or compel them to submit to vacclnn-
ton.
1t Is form or kind OF clmpulsIon,
challenge the profession to show a
single good reason, or any kind OF
proof whatever that is worthy of intel.
ligent consideration. that vaccination
ever did or even can benefit the human
race or any member Of 1t in the slight.
est degree, or that healthy children are
in any degree dangerous to anybody
on account of not having been vaccIn-
nted. II the profession OF medicine is
what It claims to be-the conservator
of the public health-it viii cease to
take refuge In sophIstry, pseudo.
science, dogmatism and technicalItles.
and make common sense with the peo-
pie In their efforts to escape from the