Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-02-19
EPIDEMIC OF VACCINATION
Easy 10 Get Up a Smallpox Scare" and
Work Vaccination Epidemic.
Or. Ross's Declaration of the Useloss-
ness Of Vaccination as Proven
Victims OF the Practice.

To the Editor:
As the vaccination question Is still
'1lfe and death natter as Il always
has been from the days Of Jenner y the
present, Il is very important the Lessons
Il teaches and the misery It has caused
should be kept constantly before the
people.
Now that the board OF health has
,magnanimously consented 10 again ad-
nit more than 5000 healthy childrep to
the schools from which they,were prev-
iously excluded without law or sense By
that astute body-aided and abbeted by
a few eminent scientists in the board
Of education. many parents have rash
Is concluded the matter IL settled,
This is a mistake.
mo question Is ever settled;
Until 1t is settled right"
Salt Lake City Is not the only town
with a board of health. They are TO be
found all over the country, and In some
Instances are undoubtedly a real bene-
fit to the citizens. az public servants
paid out OF public taxes. they can be
very useful or very expensive. II is in
their power 10 abate a nuisance or Gre
ate one, and numerous instances are on
record where both have been done. The
effort to precipitate panic by fright
ening the unintiated and unsuspecung
citizens into the belief that smallpox is
spreading In every direction has been
tried before In various other places.
IL is nothing new. One or two real
cases and half a dozen suspects" Is all
the material required by an energetic
member Of the board to work the cred
uous portion OF the town into frenzy OF
excitement. and the poor helpless chill
dreR--invariably the first victims 20 the
plot,-are stampeded by their well
meaning but misguided parents to the
doctors offices for vaccination. The
present lull IN this city is but temper
ary The frst act closed by the courts
deciding against the doctors. but the
public may depend upon IL the curtain
Will be rung up again at the oppor-
tune time. The advocates Of vaocina-
ton have too much az stake TO retire
after the first defeat, and the studied
silence that prevails just now is but a
strategic movement to pacify the indig-
nation Of the people, and to ALLOW time
for the further digging OF trenches
from which they will thrust their hide
Gus vaccine points when the delegates
to the next Legislature are being select
ed.
Ii behooves the people to be on their
guard and to become Informed on this
medical fad, for the Infamous Compul-
sorry vaccination law that was seriously
contemplated by the last Legislature
viii face the people OF Utah again
A smallpox scare can be worked up
In twenty four hours. The power vest
ed in the board Of health, aided by one
or two newspapers Is a temptation that
few doctors can or care to resist. and
when their zeal % for the public well
fare reaches point attained by a local
doctor who Is ON record as expressing
his wish that everybody IN Salt Lake
should take the smallpox who dared 20
question his statements, the most ex-
IRENE and arbitrary rulings may be ex-
pected.
In future letters that win appear In
the News" II Is intended 10 lay some
plain facts before the people OF this
State ON the vaccination question that
viii be OF interest to the doctors as
well as 10 the layman.
or course the ardent and interested
advocates OF vaccination may not
appreciate the effort TO enlighten
the masses as 10 the real facts in re-
CARDS 70 the Jewish theory. because
one OF their chief sources Of encourage
ment and hope lies In the absence OF
Information on this point. and In that
blind faith which the average citizen
reposes IN the doctors. As few OF the
medical fraternity stand together and
swear by each other: and az they are
responsible for commencing this agi-
tation. surely they cannot reasonably
complain IL We take q deep interest In
ifs discussion. II Is a self evident pro-
position that II there were no vaccina-
tors, there would be no anti-yaocina-
tors. and we propose 70 hold up this
pernlcious practice OF vaccination in
its true light before the people and not
only expose its dangers and condemn
its alleged benefits by the testimony OF
many eminent and reputable physicians