The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-02

mated as were those of Prussia, but oil
were vastly better vaccinated than the
French
| Since 1874 much more rigid VAGINA
| ton law has been in force in Germany
| Vaccination of all infants is made COM
| pulsory with revaccination of all at
| school age. The mean death rate from
smallpox per million before this law was
| 500. Since the law was passed it has
been 10; during the last ten years, T.
In the army in which the vaccination law
| is most rigidly enforced, there has been
| but one death from smallpox since 1874
| The general rate has not raised mate
| rally since that year. The cases that
| have occurred have been largely upon
| the frontier and among foreigners.
| These figures from Prussia have given
| the Observation-Disclosures much perturba
| ton of spirit. They have been able to
! get around them only by actual untruth,
| in asserting that the law of 1885 was a
| compulsory vaccination law. That law
| urgently recommended vaccination but
| did not make it compulsory. Such law
| was passed only in 1874. The antivacci-
| nationists have tried to explain the di-
| minshed death rate here, as in Sweden,
| upon the ground of improved sanitation
| The argument is absurd. There was no
| sudden Improvement in sanitary condi-
| tions in either country, and Prussia and
Sweden are not more sanitary than
| other countries where there has been no
| such radical change either in the occur
| renee or the mortality of smallpox.
In Austria vaccination is not compul-
sorry, and there we find some striking
facts of different character. During tho
years in which the death rate from
smallpox in Prussia was seven, in Austria
| 1t was 45S. In Belgium, another country
| in which vaccination is not compulsory
| the death rate per million from 1876 to
| 1884 was AL, when Prussa's was %. Are
{ We to infer that Prussia is just twenty
| times more sanitary than Belgium? In
| the year 1886, the death rate from small
| pox of Switzerland was fifty fourfold that
| of Germany; that of Germany forty eight
| fold; that of Belgium forty eightfold;
Austria, eighty onefold, and Hungary
six hundred and sevenfold.
! In Italy registration of causes of death
was initiated in 1881. A compulsory law
| of vaccination in infancy and revacci-
ration of all the children attending pub
| lie schools was instituted in 1888. The
smallpox deaths per 100000 inhabitants
| from 1881 to 1890 averaged 35.5, being,
during but two years. below 20. From
| 1891 to 1894 the average was 6.5
In the four capitals OF Europe, in the
| ten years from 1877 to 1886, the smallpox
deaths per 100, 900 living were as follows:
Vienna. 81; Paris, %; London, Is; Ber-
| lin, 1.
| In several localities in England ia
| strong characterization sentiment had
arisen, and by the irony of fate these
| towns furnish some very wholesome les
| sons. In the Sheffield epidemic of 1887
| SS. we have the following statistics given
| by the Practitioner:
! Attack rate per 1000 in the non-vac-
| cinated, "a; death rate, 81.
Attack rate per 1000 in the once vac
| cinated, 10; death rate, l.
| Attack rate per 1000 in the revacci-
mated, 3; death rate, COS. .,5
| One in 300 Of the vaccinated died; ond
| H twenty of the unvaccinated.
| In Gloucester the characterization SEN
| timent had been particularly strong, and
| in the epidemic of 1886 there were
| 1879 cases and 439 deaths in a popula-
| ton of $4,000. Strenuous attempts were
made to stay the epidemic by means of
| hospitals, disinfection and quarantining
without the slightest effect. 1t ragged
unchecked until officials. who had pub
| licly and boastingly declared themselves
| opposed to vaccination, became panic
stricken and, turning directly about, be-
| gan to enforce the vaccination laws. The
epidemic was then rapidly quelled. .,
J Statistics derived from armies are of
| particular value, for there is no chance
| for the concealment of cases which fire.
| uuently occurs in civil life. Every case
J of disease as we'll as every death is
known. Beginning with 1874, the aver
/ age annual death rate per 100000 strength
| in various armies was as follows: French
army for eight years, Is; Austrian army
| for six years &c; British army for TWEEN
| ty-two years, 81; Prussian army, l soil
| tary death from 1874 to 1896. | have not
| been able to obtain the statistics since
| that year. AS already stated, vaccina-
| ton is more thoroughly carried out in the
| prussian army than among any other
! body of men, the British army standing
1 next.
Smallpox hospitals also furnish their
evidence OF the efficacy of vaccination.
| DR. William NJ. WEIGH, in an experience
| of twenty five years as physician to the
| Municipal Hospital of Philadelphia, re-
ports that no physician, nurse, or en-
ploye of that institution, vaccinated be-
fore beginning duty, ever contracted
smallpox. DR.. arsden, physician to the
London Smallpox Hospital, said: In
| thirtyfive years l have never had a
nurse or servant with smallpox; l revac-
| cinate them when they come here. In
his classic article based upon observa-
tions made upon $3.50 patients, he reports
mortality of 35.55 per cent in patients
never vaccinated and 5.25 in those who
had been vaccinated and showed a scar.
Among those alleged to have been vac
cinated but showing no scar 21.75 per
cent died. OF all the patients who had
been vaccinated with and without a scar
the operation had been done before five
| years of age in 80 per cent. He reports
A. second attacks OF smallpox.
Dr. Collie says that during the cpl
demic of 1871, out of 40 smallpox attend
ants at Homerton, all but two were re-
| vaccinated and these two alone took
smallpox. MacVail collected statistics OF
500 smallpox attendants, AZ of whom
had smallpox. but not one of the AZ had
been revaccirated. DR.. Bracken, of Min
neapolis, has this year reported 662 cases