West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1901-05-30
VACCINATION POINTS.
WHY DIR. LEyERSON, OF FORT HAM.
lLTON, n. ", OPPOSES II.
substantial Reason for his Position
GiNen - Not Preventive OF SMALL
pox aud Is Dangerous, he says-Facts
Abont Some OF its Evil Effects.

sion between DIR. Montague K IcycrSon.
OF Fort Hamilton. and the New York board
OF health on the subject OF Compulsor,
vaccination Il may be said that he is far
from being alone in his theory and that the
antivaccinatoniStS. who include physicians
aud biologists both in the United States
and tn Europe assert their opinions with
great poSitiVcneSS. There iS no Vaeuencss :
'n the antiNaCciuationiStS indictment In
nutshell their case is this: First small.
poN is light disorder aud only becomes
serious 10y injudicious treatment: second
vaccination provides absolutely no immun.
ny from smallpox; third. vaccinia, the
disease produced 10y vaccination is one of
the most dangerous forms OF blood poison.
ing known; fourth. through the medium of
vaccination other very serious diseases arc
introduced into the system such as COW.
poN' scarlet fever. syphilis. consumption.
cancer.
before speaking on these four points to
New York sun reporter Or. Leycrson
took pains to make himself clear in two
rcSpects-hrst. that the opinions and as
serttons he made were not those of one
man who might be laughed down but the
conclusions drawn from voluminous evi.
dcnce collected in the course of years by
medical men of unqucsuoned standing all
over the world second, that although IL
was impracticable In an interview to ad.
duce proofs OF everything he said he stood
reaoy with such proofs for any one who
might wish TO challenge his assertions.
The best proph Jlactic, said DIR. Lever.
son. lis good health. and good health can
be secured by every person OF normal con.
stltution by attending TO hyrienic laws
Nothing is more unhygienic than putting
into the blood the putreiying matter of
sore, which is the essential Characteristic
Of vaccination.
Smallpox in ilsel: is a light disorder
Sydcnham, the English Hypocra tcs' and
the father o; modern medicine, wrote In
1888, IL no mischief bc done by physician
or nurse. II tsmallpoXl is the lightcst and
safest OF all diseases Ordinary smallpox
is less OF disease than ordinary vaccinia
the disease produced 10y vaccination. Sc.
we're smallpox is a very much less severe
disease than severe Vaccnia, and cyen
fatal smallpox is less TO bo dreaded than
fatal vaccinia because less painful and less
lingering.
'Oi course smallpox may become fatal.
just as any other light disease may be.
come fatal, as common cold. for instance
may develop into consumption. Persons
who arc saturated with alcohol or tobacco
would be apt to have hard time with
smallpox and with most other diseases
Persons OF low vitality will be apt TO have
hard time with II. The low vitality will
be induced by many causes. for cxample.
III nutrition. one OF the chief causes: filthy
surroundings, cxcesses OF all kinds and by
vaccination and other injections Of organic
poisons now prevalent under the name of
seropathy.
The practice OF vaccination rests on
three theories. each OF which was assumed
without evidence and is contradicted bv
the facts as now asccrtaned. The first is
that smallpox is autoprotective. This be.
lief was entertained for ages by the vulgar
With the decline OF medical knowledge in
the middle ages the popular superstition
became professional dogma and was
taught in medical schools aud is so taught
in most Of them today As a matter of
fact, repeated attacks Of smallpox are
more numerous than. on the doctrine Of
probabilities. they ought to be. on the
hypothesis that first case neither immunes
one from nor makes one more susceptible
to a second attack Statistics prove this
to mathematical certainty.
The second theory on which vaccina.
ton rests is that mild attack Of smallpox
will at least prevent a severe attack THIS
is also disproycd by statistics. which show
that second and subsequent attacks are
the more severe. The third theory is that
cowpox is in reality a form OF smallpox
That IL is not has been proved beyond the
shadow OF doubt. The total unlikcncss
OF cowpoS to smallpox says Dr. Charles
Creighton. will not now be challenged by
any one who has scientific reputation to
lose
In general it may bcgaid in the words
OF Dr.. Bocrs Of the Belgian Medical acad.
emy that the conscientious researches of
the antiyaccinators in England. Germany.
sweden. Switzerland and America have
proved that the Jenncr vaccine has never
preserved a single person from the attack
OF smallpox. bat has on the other hand
predisposcd the yaccinatcd TO contract the
microbic diseascs-vi1. smallpox. tpphus
and cholcra.
Sow lct us look 90 some oithe evil co.
feet, OF vaccination. rubcrculosi. 81. .,.,
Of thc grayest and vaccination NAY pro.
ducc it in the patient in several ways In
The first place. the COW iisclfis predisposcd
to tuberculosis. and this brings as 10 one
Of the most absurd trayestics on science
that the folly Of man has ever conceived
the so called test Tor tuberculosis i'm cows
designed to be used for vaccine purposes
They first take a COW and inoculatc 10 with
iuberculinum. ~ the COW reacts 90 to "a
certain point they call that proof that the
COW Is tubcrCulous u 10 doesn't react.
up to that point. they say it is not tubcrcu.
lous and proceed to inoculatc it either
with variolous matter or cowpoS matter.
What their tuberculosis test really docs
Is 10 introduce tuberculosis into the cows
system II IL is not there in some mani.
factories OF vaccine matter they don't
adopt this absurd process. but there re.
mains the risk that the COW may be- tubcr.
culous. Again, the person yaccinatcd may
have latent in him n tendency TO- tubrfcu.
lous degeneration. which however. mieht
never spring into activity But tbc in.
scriion Of pure gycineraied cali lymph
by disturbing The normal conditions OF thc
physical health mas at once sotup tbc frcs
aud develop tI.s latent tendency.
Let MS take cowpox The acufsrous
condition is often attended w.ir some
fever and cracks arc apt TO appear upon
the uddcr &C. as often happens. thc COW
lies down in filth aud then the mixer .rr.
tatcs the uddcr by traction. a sore is pfo.
duccd which by constant traction becomes
phas'dcnic. or eowpoS Or the mixer
may have been attending grcasy horse