The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-01-31
THE SMALL POX SCARE,

Late Thursday afternoon the aldermanic
COMMITTEES on public health met Health Off
Ger Hardness at his Office to discuss the
small pOx scare and decide as to what ac-
ton In precautionary way the city should
take.
The local physi ians were invited to al
tend the meeting and Drs. Marshall, =. l..
Templeton and William Lindsay were pres
emit. DIR. Hardness read the communication
received by him from the State board OF
health, which stated IL was reported that
small pox WAS raging in the Province OF
q iebec and that there were 300 cases in
Montreal alone. 1t was also shown that
tie city council OF Burlington had advised
general vaccination there, while at Barre
the city council was framing an ordinance
by which general vaccination could be
made compulsory.
DIR. Templeton stated that he did not de-
sire to antagonize public opinion or the
council in the matter but he would not al
| low himself or children to be vaccinate ted rs
| he believed it to be injurious rather than
| beneficial. He was opposed to making
| vaccination compulsory although he would
| gaccinate a person should he desire it,
| He cited an instance In which, after thirty
| eight years of compulsory vaccination in
| England, when about eighty per cent OF the
population had been vaccinated, about
| 5000 de .ths from small pox occurred in
London in one year. He quoted number
| of well known medical authorities who
held that vaccination was injurious AID
brought on different forms of cutaneous
diseases and who also held that there were
more deaths from small pox than where
| vaccination was not practiced.
| Dr.. Templeton called attention to the
| fact that when DR.. Charles Creighton, dem
| onstrator OF anatomy at Cambridge Uni
versity, near London, was asked by the
| publishers Of the Eucy clopD liza Britannica
to write an article on vaccination for the
| last edition of that work, he st Arted in with
a firm belief in its efficacy. AS he progress
ed with the article, however he changed
| his views entirely and his article, which il
an exhaustive one on the subject, when
completed argued against vaccination. Il
created a Juror in the medical world and an
Investigating committee was appointed
from well known medical specialists who
after considering the matter, sustained DE-
Creighton in his views and his article ap
pears in the encyclol &c liza as written.
DR.. Lindsay stated he knew 1t to be 0
fact that there was at the present time
but one case Of small pox in Montreal, al
though in the province there we're severa
cases. He said Montpelier had not had {
case OF small pox in twenty five years not
withstanding the fact that it appears il
Canada TO greater or less extent. He be
lieved in vaccination but did not believ,
that the circumstances warranted making /
compulsory here even If there were no diff
foul in making it 80. He said the Law
was Very plain regard to the matter
making 1t possible for all, who desired, t
be vaccinaed.
DR.. Marshall believed In vaccination bu
concurred with Dr.. Lindsay as to making 1
compulsory.
The commi tee in it's report to the cit,
council in substance advised the resident
to be vaccinated and made provision for al
those who were unable to bear the expens
to have 1t done at the expense of the city.