The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-13
VACCINATION.
Recent Testimony Of Experts snp-
mItted by "a Layman"-ProE Wall
lace DIscredits Vaccination


Strongly.
To the Editor OF the Intelllgeneer.
sIR:-Prompted by letter from your
correspondent In Wednesdays issue on
the subject of vaccination, kindly sub
init the following facts on the authority
OF Prof. wallace in his 1.-THE Wonderful
Century" q book just published. 1t
was not a strange thing when in the
eighteenth century there was announced
a discovery from Asia that smallpox
might be cured by the use Of poison,
It should be eagerly welcomed by the
people OF that time. They had no Idea
OF getting rid of smallpox by the use OF
sanitary principles. The nrst operations
with the new discovery were failures
but little later came DR.. Jenner with
his announcement OF the principles OF
modern vaccination. II you Will read
the records upon which the scientific
men = so-called - of that day accepted
Dr. Jenner's conclusions. and were
ready to assert that vaccination would
prevent smallpox you will wonder what
sort OF children men were at that time
they would hardly pass muster IN q
debating society In one OF our grammar
schools to-day. But with this Limited
investigation the people were so eager
to get rid OF the smallpox that they
rushed with unexampled unanimlty 10.
ward the support OF this theory. IT
was opposed by some of the most emil
nent physicians OF the time, but 1t seems
as II their testimony was OF no eject,
and vaccination was made free in 1910 IN
England; In 1858 1t was made compul-
sorry, and 1t began to be practically en-
forced by law in 1867.
Professor Wallace takes a hundred
pages OF his book to prove his state
ments dlscredlting vaccination. He
gives us examples, for Instance. OF the
contrast between ireland and Scotland,
both OF which might be called largely
moral countries. In Scotland vaccina-
ton has been enforced, while 1t has not
been enforced until very recently IN
ireland, and Ireland has been almost
entirely free from smallpox. while Scot
land, with its protection through vac
cinatlon-has suffered very severely.
And In London, where the law has been
SO enforced that a child would be torn
from its mothers arms, or the mother
putin prison II she would not permit the
vaccination in a peaceable manner-in
London. where now for fOrty-nve years.
vaccination has been compulsory, and
has been thoroughly enforced since
1867, the cases Of smallpox and the
deaths from that disease are so much
beyond those in unvaccinated Ireland as
to make It seem as though the Irish were
q different race OF people, and not sub
1ect to the same diseases.
The city OF Leicester, in England-a
city Of 100000 inhabitants--hRd such a
'scourGe Of smallpox although the peo-
pie had been thoroughly vacclnated)
some twenty-five years ago or more.
that in their indignation they did away
with all their vaccination laws. And
since then the inhabitants have been
unvaccInated. and while the cities all
around 1t have been smitten by this pest
OF smallpox, Leicester has been almost
entirely free from IT, do not think
this result has come because the people
were not vacclnated, but because In
stead Of trying to eradicate this poison
by the action Of poison, they cleaned
their city thoroughly. and smallpox had
to go. And smallpox is leaving the
civilized world. not because we have
been poisoning people to get rid of IT,,
but for the same reason that cholera
and other zymotic diseases have been
golng-because we are living more In
accordance with healthy conditions, anu
thus have Overcome cvil with good.
And when you compare the city OF Lei
cester, where people are not vaccinated,
with the British army and navy, whose
members are vaccinated, and re-vaccln-
ated, and kept vaccinated up to date all
the time, you find such startling con-
trast that you almost feel like falling
on your knees and crying: Deliver me
from the flend Of vaccination" II only
one-tenth of what Professor Wallace
says Is true concerning The matter, this
whole idea OF being notwithstanding
poison put into your system to get an
other poison out Of it-can be compare
BILE only to the religious delusIon OF men
who think that Mt death they Will fly
into everlasting bliss because they have
been baptized, or have put their faith
in this or that or the other outside mp
plicaion of form or opinion, instead of
cleansing their hearts ami trying to
work righteousness and justice.
Sanitary conditions" Is purely dis
covery OF our OWE century Some OF the
principal squares OF London century
agO-squnres TINT were surrounded by
even the wealthIcst members OF the
aristocracy, might be found piled high
with all kinds OF decaying refuse. The
plague? We do not know the plague.
The plague has gone from civilized
countries simply because we have be-
lleved in nature enough to give her a
chance; because we have removed cor
ruption and have enforced cleanliness.
The cities Of Cuba will be living exam
pies Of the truth of these assertions.
TyhooII1C, T,,I,, 80 1ehn