The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-01
ANoTHER EXPOSURE.


 Advertiser readers have not gorgotten last year by the discovery that number of deaths of children In St. Louis had been caused by the use in cases of diph- theria of serum taken from diseased horses.s We believ eleven children died, and it was shown that their deaths were the result of using serum obtained from a horse far gone with tuberculosis A great deal was said about it. and it was shown that grossly criminal negli- gence was responsible for the fatal re- suits. but we do not now remember that any one. has been punished for it.
 In a recent issue of The Boston Adver- tiser we find the following:
 At the Somerville dressed meat slaugh- ter house. this winter, COW was brought to be killed. The animal had been used for purposes of furnishing vaccine mat ter for virus inoculation, and when killed it bore the marks of the vaccine sorea When an examination of the animal was made by skilled veterinary. 1t was found that the animal which had fur nished nobody knows how many hun dreds of vaccine points for use in Mas sachusetts was so far gone with tuber- culosis that it was horrible to believe that any sane man in this State could have used it for a virus supply. The dis covery when made, was not made public, because smallpox was raging and people were being vaccinated all over the State.
 Ever since the time, about a century aoo u,han nr Iapnor made nuhlic hia discovery that smallpox could be pre- vented, or its evil greatly mitigated by vaccination, there have always been intelligent people to deny the efficiency of vaccination. There are many men, both medical and lay, who stoutly depy is not, or would not be, matter of such importance. If there was always surety that vaccination is safe. With pure and uncontaminated vaccine matter, properly used, vaccination under ordinary conditions is both safe and simple, and if it is not always effectual the weight Of authority is decidedly in its favor.
 But, unfortunately for the good that may be done, and for the endeavors of those who have faith in this preventive of smallpox, we occasionally read such horrible statements as the one We have copied, the truth of which there seems no reason to doubt. That short article will do more to strengthen and fortify the opponents of vaccination than all the arguments that can be used in a year People who do not believe in vaccination will argue that they have no faith in it at best, and if their lives are to be endangered by the insertion into their system of the germs of a disease infinitely more dangerous than smallpox they will be more than ever determined not to submit to it. In what way can such reasoning be refuted when such stories as that which eliminated at Somerville become public?
 There are two really surprising features connected with this case that are worthy of note. One is that a COW so badly diseased as this one Is represented to be should have been used as an incubator of vaccine matter without her condition being known. or, if known. that any civilized people would have allowed it, knowing the danger. The other strange feature is that efforts were made to keep the public from knowing the facts. when in all probability the points were still being used. It would seem that as soon as the facts became known it would have been right and proper to give them all the publicity possible In order that the evil might as far as possible. be enumerated. Any way we look at the matter it is discreditable and if this diseaseG matter ly used, or