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

a wheeling man Says IL Is one ofthe
Fads Of Medicine : Goes Into an
Elaborate Argument Against the
use OF tho Cows Virus.
10 the Editor Of the IntelllgenceF.
sIR:-Under misplaced confidence
IN the fads Of medicine, persons are Of
ten induced to innoculate themselves
OF their children with the filthy virus,
obtained from diseased cows, with the
hope that in some mysterious way they
may be protected against smallpox.
They thus voluntarily contract one dis
ease in the false hope that they may
escape anotherwhlch they would never
contract should they closely observe
the laws Of health.
That non-professional readers may
the better understand the following
article, we here insert the meaning Of
some OF the technical terms used. Vac
cine is a word derived from vacca,
which signifies a COW; and vaccine
Virus Is morbid or poisonous matter
taken from an infectious sore, or pock
Of the cow. Vaccination is the act Of
inoeulating the human system with the
morbid or infectious matter Of COW
box. variola signifies smallpox; varlo-
lold signifies resembling smallpox.
Vaccination is properly amedical ques-
tion. II allowed to rest on its merits
alone. as 1t ought. and no compulsion
or coercion was ever attempted, IT
would not then be crime. Direct
compulslon is now rarely attempted, as
Il Is generally admitted that every
healthy and upright citizen has an un-
doubted right to care for and preserve
his own body, 80 far as his health is
concerned, belongs only to himself and
mot to authorities. The authorities can
not riRhtfully touch his body SO long as
he does not infringe upon the rights of
others. Personal rights are sacred, and
no personal right is more sacred than
the right to guard and defend ones
own body from all injury. Now vac
enlation endangers, at least to some
degree. the life Of every person vaccln-
ated, and every citizen has, therefore,
the right to defend his person from the
attack OF the vaccinator as he has from
the hand OF the ASSASSIN. This once
understood puts an end to compulsory
vaccination. It is a direct personal at
tack that may be resisted, and 1t iE
time for city councils and boards OF
health to understand that every act re-
curing vaccination is an act of tyran-
ny to be resisted by every free-born
and liberty loving citizen.
II the Individual has the right Of free
choice, then we have no right to de-
prive him Of any privilege on account
OF exercising his choice. Every up
right citizen has the undoubted right
without regard to his own person, med
zeal or religious tenetS, to enjoy the
privileges OF our public schools, and
the exclusion Of unYaccinated children
rom public schools, or the requirement
OF vaccination by employers as con-
dltlon Of employment, is form Of com
pulsion that threatens not only tbs
healtn ana longevity VI hhS PSSP'S W
the subversion Of their political right
also, and lays them under triple obi
cations to know for themselves TIT
merits Of this great question. AS tc
bias Judgment. It Is perhaps enough Il
say that the members Of the medica
profession are human: and when vi
come to consider that vaccination in
wolves the transferSof millions Of dol
lars annually from the pockets Of tn,
people to the members Of the PROBES
sion, and that pride of opinion alone
aside from mercenary motives nigh
be sumclent to prevent the open &C
acknowledgement OF such stupendous er
rors and fatal mal.praetIces as yaccIn
alton is known TO be by Thousands o
investigators, we can plainly see us
people we must Investigate and judg
for ourselves. No one cnn prove thu
vaccination ever did or can. In a sin
gle instance. prevent or mitigate small
pox.
To do so he must be able to show
hrst, that one or more persons will Ger
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