West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-04-18
VACCINATION AGAIN.
Dr. Il. +. Lanham Writes Another
Article In Defense Of His Position
ON This Important Subject.

have just read the article of DR..
w. J.. Morgan, on vaccination, and
am more surprised that he, or you.
Mr.. Editor should think that my
article on vaccination published a
week ago, was in answer to anything
he, or any one else had said, than
anything else it contained. Ny
article was prompted by a condition
existing all over this State, requir-
ing a remedy. | said then, and say
yet, that the remedy is in vaccina-
ton. DR.. Morgan's ripe age, and
experience indicates TO me 4 gener-
al senility, rather than a knowledge
of the subject on which he writes.
Let us look first at his attitude from
a general standpoint. In politics,
if man does not accept the princi-
pies Of his party, he is called
Mugwump, and considered weak;
If a minister does not accept the
Creeds and dogmas of his church,
he is called Hereto, and loses his
standing in that particular organiza-
ton. II Physician does not ac-
cept the teachings of his own school
of medicine, think we might very
properly call him crank, and let
him off very easy at that will
state, however, that do not know
the school of medicine of which DIR.
Morgan is disciple, but will make
a guess that he is not an Allopath;
if he is an Ostopath, or Christian
Scientist, / know nothing of his
teaching on vaccination, or any
other subject.
l have no way of verifying the
Doctors quotations from the Sur
geon Generals report, as / have no
copy for reference, but admitting
all he quotes to be true, | see moth
ing in it, but mere record of the
cases. One hundred and seven
deaths in total of 45o cases, is not
a surprisingly large death rate at all,
and | will state here that / believe,
that if all those soldiers had been
successfully vaccinated, that there
would not have been in the Army,
one death from it. The Doctor
seems to have lost sight of the diff
ference, between Variola, the true
smallpox, and Variloid, the modi-
fed smallpox we have after vaccin-
alton. He then gives 90 deaths out
of 542 cases in the "much vaccinat-
ed" Philippine Army. This again
proves nothing, except the fatal
cases had not been successfully
yaccinated, or that they might have
died in that far off country, with
almost any disease, before they be-
came fully acclimated. We may
have very sore arm after yaccina-
ton, from septic infection, without
any protection from smallpox, and
unless the surgeon is careful, to see
that he has the characteristic vessi-
Gle around the wound, he will be
deceived himself.
Besides in many instances, fire.
quent attempts at vaccination have
failed after a dozen attempts, ex-
tending through that many years, a
successful vaccination is accom-.
plished. 1t is just like exposures
to the disease; we may sleep with
patient who has smallpox, and es-
cape the disease, and in a year from
that time, with the slightest exposure,
contract it. The vaccination being
successful, or our taking the disease
itself, depends on the condition of
the system, at the time of exposure.
We have an instance on record, of
a woman nursing her own family
through smallpox, and then two
sets of her grand children, and not
contracting the disease, and yet
ten years after she had finished her
last case, she, herself took small
pox and died with it.
Quoting again from DR.. Morgan's
letter, During the same two years.
1871 were on the sick list, as
result from vaccination. The
Doctor does not know it seems,
that successful vaccination is at.
tended with the primary symptoms
Of smallpox, and for a short time
disables the patient; he again says:
"a number died from the effects of
the virus, and many were permandy
disabled" A number" and
"many". These are such indefinite
terms, That no one can tell of their
meaning. a number died from
vaccination; what was the number ?
Many were permantly disabled; how
many' That kind Of talk, makes
people tired, and causes me TO be.
lieye that The Doctor had just about
exhausted his statistics. How in.
teresting it would have been, if the |