Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-11-03

From information gained from every
board Of health in response to in
quiries made as the effects of vac
cination the following is published:
In reviewing the reports from which
this summary is made. it appears that
twenty five report 100 per cent. sue
cessful vaccinations in primary cases
with gycerinated lymph: and forty
nine report 90 per cent. and over rang
ing from 90 to 80. out of this number
of forty nine. three reported series Of
from 100 to 200 cases; six series of
from 200 to 300; four. of from 800 to
400 one. a series of 400: one. of 575:
one. Of go; one. of 6S5; one, of $50: one.
of 900. and one, of 1,550 In second
AIRY cases. seven report 100 per cent
successes: and fourteen report IS per
cent. or over.
With dried lymph, seven report in
primary cases 100 per cent. successful
inoculations: and twenty-one, 20 per
cent. or over. In secondary cases. four
report 100 per cent successful; and
six give 30 per cent. or over.
The largest series reported by one
observer having "A percentage of 90.
was 600. Another was of 500. with
percentage of 80.
In the reports from the whole State,
the proportion Of bad arms is larger
for the glycerinated lymph than re-
ported elsewhere, vet this is, perhaps
not surprising in view of the fact thai
the suggested methods of using the
glycerinated lymph by blowing i.
from the tube with the lips. or apply
ing by the wooden spatula We're both
more likely To convey infection than
the simpler and more Clearly method
of eXpelling il by rubber bulb and
hubbing il by the scarifying instru-
ment 1t may be also a factor in ac-
counting for this that the profession
had not then learned to appreciate
the fact that large scaritied area is
undesirable and that normally
glycerinated pulp is many times more
powerful than any dried form.
The question of purity of lymph is
constantly bringing up the PROPOSE
ton for the propagation by the State
of it's own lymph. AS matter of
fact. the sentimental idea must yield
TO the practical The practicability Of
various measures of public sanitation
must always determine such questions.
At the present time there is little
doubt that in this country lymph can
be produced of better quality and far
more economically to the community
by private enterprise.
In the beginning Of his paper on
tuberculosis DR.. Young. secretary Of
the board. says:
Introductory The purpose Of the
following paper is to teach that tuber-
Ia
that, in the early stage particularly. it
is curabl In the State Of Maine.
while the mortality from the whole
list of the other infectious diseases
was 6.266 deaths during the seven years
1s92-9s. the disease tuberculosis alone.
| in it's various forms. destroyed 9.725
lives in the same period.
OF the 9735 deaths from tuberculosis.
| S. 429 of them fell victims to pulmonary
tuberculosis, popularity called con-
sumption. OF these S.429 persons who
| died of consumption. there were about
| $3.50 between the ages of Is and 60.
| These persons may therefore be said
to have died during their industrial OF
! productive age when death entails
| the greatest loss upon the family and
| State How serious the financial and
social burden of tuberculosis is but
| few persons stop to think Assuming
| that the average value of each of these
| $3.50 persons would have been only
| $500 each if they had not been cut
down. we find that over $4,000 900 of the
States productive capital has been
| swept away-more than enough to can
eel the whole indebtedness of the
State.
| Both the papers Of Dr. Smith on
vaccination and that of DR.. Young on
| tuberculosis are exhaustive. TIE
paper of Dr. Smith shows the care and
study he has put into it. In it he tells
what vaccna is. speaks of its pro-
tective power and in fact takes up the
subject so much in detail that it must
prove Of the greatest interest and val
ne to the physicians of this as well
as in other states.
In his paper on tuberculosis DR..
| Young writes at length on the intec-
tivity Of the disease. discards the
theory that it is of a hereditary nature
and then passes on to methods of pre-
vention and in this line takes up its
hygienic treatment and the value of
sanitoriums. Under the latter heal he
shows the value of such plan OF
treatment. The paper is profuSely
illustra ted with half-tone cuts which are
remarkably clear. and through them i.
is possible to gain a better idea of the
manner in which patients are living
while being cured of this disease
which is so much dreaded because by
some it is believed to be incurable.
| In conclusion the report contains a
paper on the use of formaldehyde as q
preservative for milks and meats. and
in the paper DR.. Young shows conclu-
| sively the injury that must surely
come from such methods.