West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-04-11
VACCINATION.
Another Interesting Article In Oppos,.
iiOn 10 II.

Dear Slr--IHE ARGUS at hand
for this week and read some valu-
able pointers on vaccination from
the pen of DIR. Il. f. Lanham. of
the State Board Of Health for West
Virginia. In this article he makes
some statements and appears TO
believe they are facts because he
knows nothing to the contrary.
He accepts his theories as facts
because 1t suits his purpose to do so
and he cares 10 look no further.
His first mis- statement is that
"yaccination absolutely prevents
the person vaccinated from taking
smallpox when exposed to it," /
would like to refer him TO the re.
ports Of the Surgeon General of the
United States Army to the Secretary
of War for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1900 which contains a
rather interesting section on small.
pox and vaccination. We extract
as follows; "For the two years
ending June 80 1900, there were
43o cases of smallpox with 1907
deaths" This strikes one as an
enormous percentage of deaths
until we read further where il saws
that "of these cases 34a with 90
deaths occurred in the Philippines, ;"
in that much vaccinated army of
ours. Another still more interest
ing section is that treating of "vac-
cination" (by which term the
vaccination disease is recognized).
"During the same two years, IA,
81 were taken on the sick list as
the result of vaccination. A num-
Der died from the effects of the
virus, and many were permantly
disabled" OF one poor fellow who
died, rather remarkable fact is
recorded, to the effect that "his
temperature which at death was
1914, was IoS half an hour after
wards" Yet DR.. Lanham saws that
vaccination is perfectly harmless T"
viii the Hon. Member of the
Health Board pretend to say that
the soldiers were not yaccinated /?
Will he dispute the Surgeon Gen
erals authority2
DIR. Lanham says that bovines do
not have syphilis, which may be
true, but when he says they do not
have consumption, he must have
gotten his information from some
one who told him tor a Joke. Here
are some statistics on the subject.
The State Veterinarian of Mary
land, reported that nine per cent
of the cattle of that state have
tuberculous and in the past few
years the state has paid many
thousands of dollars for cattle
found diseased and slaughtered
them. The New York Veterinar
ian estimates IS per cent of the
cattle consumpted and two years
ago several large herds of valuable
blooded cattle were slaughtered
and cremated at the expense of the
state because they were consumpt-
ed. Perhaps the Hon. DR.. does
not know anything about all these
things.
He says that the present epidemic
is very mild and he might have
added that of late years the viru-
lence of smallpox has diminished
IS per cent, which is true, and
claimed as is often done, that it is
from the benefits of vaccination.
But unfortunately for such claims,
other erruptive diseases, such as
measles, scarlet fever, typhoid
fever etc. have decreased in yiru-
lence over so per cent, in the same
time, aghile e0AsUmpfion has mcyeas-
ct o0er 200 Per cent IN e0e,y e0nAiIy
since compulsory aaeeiRalioA a0as
adobfca, and England after a five
years investigation by Royal
Commissioner repealed the law for
compulsory vaccination. 1t is well
for the people Of my native state to
know that the most disastrous cpl
demic of smallpox England ever
suffered from was when os per
cent Of the people were vaccinated.
Allow me to say to your readers
that in thirty-five years in the prac-
tice Of medicine have been
through several smallpox epidemics
(scares) and all the time giving
attention to chronic diseases and I
have not met one case where the
disease could be traced to the
smallpox, but in that time I have
met with many scores Of cases that
could and did date ;he commence.
ment Of the sickness 70 vaccination.
and ] have known Of many who did
not live 20 tell the tale. have
seen many cases Of smallpox and
never one that had not been vac
Cinafcd Hence IL doc. 80 go