The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-06-28
ABOUT VACCINATION.
PREVENTIVE MEASURE MOST
BENEFICIAL FOR CHILDREN.
Death Rate IL Low In Proportion to the
Evidences of Thoroughness Revealed
by the scars-MedIcal Men Favor Com
pulsory Vaccination.

1t is easy to forget past dangers and
to grow careless and negligent as ca
lamities recede into history, says the
Toronto Globe. The recent outbreak of
smallpox in Ontario shows that as the
scourges Of the past have become a
memory or historical record, the pre-
ventive measure that brought the re-
cent immunity has been neglected.
The nature of the germ of smallpox
and the pabulum in the human body
on which it subsists are as yet I'M
known, but experience has shown that
the introduction of the vaccine germ
sets up an action that results in GER
tain amount of immunity from small
pox and lessons the virulence OF the
disease. One result reasonably attribu-
table to vaccination is the transference
Of the most fatal period from child
hood to maturity. In Geneva from
1880 to 1850 there were 25,349 deaths
from smallpox and over So per cent
were of children under ten years of
age. In Kilmarnock from 1928 to 1854
the proportion of children among the
fatal cases was 9S8 in every 1000. In
q total of 36,755 deaths from smallpox
in Kilmarnock, Edinburg, Manchester,
Warrington, Chester, Geneva and The
Hague, in various pre-vaccination pc
RODS since 1880, there were 1882 I'M
der two years of age. Since children
have been protected by vaccination
the greater proportion of fatalities has
been among adults. In London in 1884
the proportion of children was 612 in
ever 1000 deaths among the unvacci-
mated, and in the vaccinated commu-
nifty there were only sc children In
every 1000 fatal cases. In Prussia both
and revaccination are
compulsory, and from 1916 to the pass
ing of the law of 1874 the smallpox
death-rate was 300 per annum per mil
lion of population. Since then, down
to 1892, it has been Is, and in the last
ten years of the period only II. The
vaccination age is the sec
ond year of life, and in 18S6-90 more
than two-fifths of the few deaths that
occurred from smallpox were under
two years of age. In Austria, where
vaccination is not compulsory, the
rate, instead of being Z per million,
as in Prussia was 458 in the same pc
riod. In Italy since 1883 vaccination of
infants has been compulsory, as has
revaccination of children attending
public schools. From 1881 to 1890 the
smallpox death rate was 355 per mil
lion per annum, and in 1894 it was
only 65. At the time of the European
epidemic of 1S70-75 Scotland, England,
Sweden and Bavaria had a compul-
sorry vaccination law, and their small
pox rates per million in the worst
years were 1,470, 1880, 1850 and 1850
Prussia, Holland and
Austria had no general compulsory
and their rates in the
worst years were 5000, 5,490 and 6,1S0.
Coming to 1S77-S6, with vaccination
not compulsory in Austria, with only
infantile vaccination compulsory in
England, and with vaccination and re-
compulsory in Prussia, the
average death rate per million from
smallpox in the capitals of these three
countries was, in Vienna 670, in Lon
Ion $50, and in Berlin 10. The coun-
I'll of the British Medical association
has issued a pamphlet setting forth in
condensed form the facts ELECTED by
The royal commission on smallpox and
According to the record
If three towns, Dewsbury, Leicester
and Gloucester, where vaccination had
been neglected, it was found that
lmong Y vaccinated children at
acked two died, or 81 per cent, but
lmong gel unvaccinated children at
.acked $50 died, or 1913 per cent. TAX
ng persons over 10 years DID, among
1853 vaccinated persons attack
Ter cent, and among 331 unvaccinated
PERSONS there were rs deaths, or 22.6
yer cent. This record is supplemented
~ figures which show that among
hose recorded as vaccinated the death
ate is low in proportion to the evil
ences of thoroughness revealed by
he scars. OF 10,403 cases in Homer
on hospital, 2,S05 had good vaccina-
ion marks, and the fatalities among
hem were per cent; 1854 had indif-
erent marks, and the ratio of fatali-
les was per cent; 1926 were alleged
o have been vaccinated but had no
cars, and of them per cent were
atal, while the unvaccinated num-
cred 2,169, with 43 per cent of fatali-
les. The evidence collected shows |
hat the medical associations of Brit
in and other countries are abundant
2 justified in favoring compulsory |
accination as a measure of public
afety, and it would be extremely dan
erous to relax our vigilance in a mat