The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-09
SHALL VI:
VACCINATE?
Objection Made to
Compulsory
Rite.
.VIEN. Or A
CORRESPONDENT
Fear mat Vaccine May introduce
disease Germs TO the
Human System.

Senate, that nope to be allowed space
to consider the other side of the aues-
ton.
A few days ago this bill Cnumber 49,
was referred to a committee FOR con-
sideration. The result of this, consid-
Grafton was minority report, which I
will discuss by sections:
The minority of your committee
(, does not recommend the passage of
either of the above bills, ror the fol-
lowing reasons: Since the discovery
of vaccination by Jenner smallpox has
not beer the terrible scourge to hu-
] mainly that it was before this dis
! coVery.'
Exactly the same thing might be
said of many other zymotic diseases
i which run in periods of greater or
lesser intensity. Smallpox is a disease
which originated in filth and throve
| on filth, and until scientific sanitation
began to engage the attention of State
and municipal authorities it was in
deed scourge to humanity. Wherever
proper attention has been given to
cleanliness smallpox has died out and
l the same thing may be said of plague
| black death, the sweating sickness
etc, which ragged with great intensity
at times. If physicians had vaccinated
time the diseases began to abate they
would probably have made much of the
coincidence.
"Falsehoods which we spurn today
| Are the truths of long ago"
/ Scientific and medical men agree as
| to the efficiency of vaccination as q
means of preventing the spread of the
disease. In former centuries. before
fthe discovery of vaccination, no dis
ease was more dreaded, or destroyed
more Victims
Yes; some scientific men do agree on
this point, but there are thousands
who do not. Thousands of the fore
most scientists, and thousands of emil
| nent physicians are strongly OF the
opinion that vaccination does not pre-
vent smallpox; and not alone that but
that it is a dangerous operation, some
times extremely so. And what If they
did agree? In times past scientific
and medical men have agreed on sub
jects that, in the light of present day
! knowledge, are so utterly ridiculous
that it is difficult to realize anyone
ever held such ideas And probably a
present practices will make the sc1en-
| lists and medical men of the twenty
first century smile pityingly at our ig-
norance.
1T has been calculated that in the
last century from Z to u per cent OF
deaths from all diseases We're due TO
smallpox
I fail to see any argument here ia
vorable to the present compulsory vac
cination law If it could be proven
that to vaccination is due the fact that
the percentage of deaths is much low
er, it would indeed be a strong argu-
ment, but, because it can be proven
that vaccination does not prevent
smallpox, we must look to other rea-
sons for our present freedom from
| smallpox epidemics.
cat the present day, in countries
where vaccination is regularly prac-
ticed the proportion has been reduced
to 40 of 1 per cent; and, in countries
where vaccination has been compul-
sorry, smallpox has been almost en-
tirely suppressed. Formerly human
vaccine virus was often used, ana
methods of vaccinating were imperfect,
and there is danger of transmitting
other diseases from one person to an
other. Now, however, nothing but the
best of bovine virus is used, taken
! from healthy calf, and all danger
is done away with
I Let US see how this statement agrees
with the experience of Italy. L select
Italy because it is one of The best, if
not the best, vaccinated countries IN
the world. Parents consider vaccina-
ton one of the first duties and, if any
children go through infancy without
being subjected to the operation they
must be vaccinated before entering
school. Young men, with very few ex-
ceptions, must spend three years In
the army, where a regulation compels
them to submit to vaccination. The
people of Italy are vaccinated early
and often, and yet Dr. Charles Ruata.
who occupies high position IN the
i University of Perugua, Italy, says, in
an article published IN the official
journal of the American Medical Asso-
citation, Our nation since 1875 was
vaccinated in the proportion OF IS. per
cent Notwithstanding this, the cpl
denies that We have had of smallpox
have been something so frightful that
they We're not often equalled before
the invention of vaccination DR..
Ruata gives some interesting figures
which / will not quote for fear of tax
ing up too much space. He states that
these deaths were not so numerous
in the best educated portions of our
country, but in the most ignorant
parts, where our popula ton live just
as they lived a century ago And the
population is perfectly vaccinated.
obtained from the local authorities a
declaration that vaccination has been
performed twice a year in the most
satisfactory manner for many years
past.
In consequence of our young men
being obliged to spend three years in
the army, it happens that after the
csc VI twenty years the men are by
far better vaccinated than the women
so, if vaccination did prevent after
the age of twenty, smallpox would kill
fewer men than women. But, in fact
Just the reverse has happened
. The doctor gives more official fig
ures, in proof of the above statement
For want OF space I must leave them
out of this article, but will be glad to
show them to anyone interested He
also gives some official statistics which
show that soldiers not protected be-
cause vaccination did not take" were
Hess attacked by smallpox than those
duly protected by the successful result
of their vaccination, and that the death
rate in those vaccinated with good re-
suit was greater than among those In
e whom vaccination did not take