Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-13
SMALLPOX sCOURGE.

many parts of the world and Its exist ence at not a few points i'll practically epidemic severity, says the New York Herald. In many sections of the United States the scourge has obtained so firm foothold that public schools and theaters have been closed. Yellow quarantine flags have been flying from houses in every block in certain towns and villages of New Jersey Connecti- cut and parts of Pennsylvania and the southern and western states.
 In some localities whole communi- ties have become all but panic-stricken, and disorderly and riotous acts have been a not infrequent consequence. So serious IS the scourge in London that temporary barracks have been erected 1 along the banks of the Thames to ac- | commodate 800 patients, the plague snlps anchored fifteen miles down the river having been overcrowded
 In the English metropolis there were 5,f23 cases between May l. 1901, and January 10, 1902 and S97 were under l treatment on the latter date. The oealh rate there is IA per cent among persons yaccinated, 65 per cent in cases of doubtful vaccination and 5O1b per cent m cases where there has been no vaccination at all.
 30 Tar as the United States is con- cefned the people had been amply fore
 Warhed. There has been no lack of
 warning throughout this country of the prouaDlllty of the wide spread of sll sl.ialipox during the present winter. tue importance of vaccination and of every other sanitary and hygienic pre- cautlon has been urged in the press.
 Mofe man year ago the disease had begun to be alarmingly prevalent in many sections of the United States. l Hlde publicity was given last August IO the public health reports Of Tho l united States, which showed that aven tne1 smallpox had become pretty well scartefed over the country.
 1Hese reports showed that for +ha period or four months, between lam. afy ana May, 1901, Colorado had | 763 cases: Delaware, 57; Illinois 35e. In, ulana, 56S; Kansas, 3.967. T,ouisiana z.fSo; Minnesota, 2.923; Ohio. G9e. tennessee. 423S, and New York 7o2 lhere was hardly state or territorv mat had not had one or more casas aurlng the year. Since then the nest mas gained ground rapidly.
 Dr Thomas B. Shea. chief mad;co1 officer of the Boston board of bealth asserted recently that there have haan Tn Boston about 600 cases of smallpox within the last four months. Ha at- tflDuted the prevalence of the pest to the fact that there had not been anv eAtenslYe vaccination since 1893. when loo cases caused general scare The ou1oreak began there in September. ana during some days of November as Hany as score of new cases were re- ported daily
 Df Shea,s estimate is believed to be very conservative one Smallpox was uncommonly prevalent in Boston during the Christmas holidays but the local newspapers, the large depart- ment stores and others interested in preserving a good holiday trade did everything possible to minimize tbe facts.
 Later, when the plague increased So rapidly that nobody could remain blind to It's dangers, wholesale vaccination became the order of the day. North and East Boston were invaded daily Dy squads of physicians. acting under the authority of the board of haalth and sustained by the city police force and an inoculation campaign was be- gun that has already shown good re- suits.
 Many thousand persons are said to nave been yaccinated under comnuI slon III a single day. As .'The Hub, is q hotbed for the anti vaccination nron. aganda, the arbitrary action of tha health officers had stirred up . bor- nets nest, and the anti-yaccination- ISIS now accuse the authorities of dis toftlng the facts in their reports and suppfesslng the alleged fact that many or those who had died had been anono nose recently inoculated. while many or the unyaccinated who were strick- en had been among those who had ra- covered. For the week ending Feb. ruary ) Boston reported 15O cases un- der treatment.
 Prof. William Os1er of Johns Hon. Klns university, in his, siPractice of Medlclne, standard work. says :. Tn the whole world the percentage or mortality among persons inoculated l With vaccine virus ranges from 6 to 8. l Among persons unvaccinated 8 Der cent of those stricken with smallpox l died. In England of 4,754 cases which | were observed the death rate an1ong | persons yacc1nated once was 7.6; ! among those with two marks ' per cent; those with three marks Az per cent, while those who had been inoc | ulated four times the percentage of | mortality was only 2.4.''