Evening star., 1902-03-03
SITUATION IMPROVES
Decrease in the Number of
Smallpox Cases.
RECORDS ELSEWHERE
HEALTH OFFICE CONTINUES
WORK OF VACCINATION.
Statement by DR.. Woodward Regard
ing Necessity for the Use
of Virus.
RECORDS ELSEWHERE

of Virus.
The smallpox situa ton In the District has
improved to marked extent since the first
part of last week, and after several days of
tensity and excitement the health officials
are breathing easy once more temporarily.
at least. The number of patients at the
smallpox hospital has been reduced to
eleven, and there have been nineteen cases
in the District, so far, since the first of the
year. This record is a wonderfully good
one when brought into comparison with the
percentage of cases in Philadelphia, New
York and the cities of New Jersey where
the disease has been raging.
The health authorities continue to vacci-
nate many people daily, while private ply
sicians report that they are kept quite busy
applying the virus to various people who
apply for the treatment Generally speak
ing, the people of the city seem to have the
utmost confidence in the effectiveness of
vaccination, and are voluntarily under
going the operation. The authorities rec2g-
nize the fact that there are many perhaps
who do not believe In vaccination. and are
taking steps toward coercion. The situ-
alton at present Is not deemed serious
enough for any such mea sureS.
Mrs. Lucy L. Fitzpatrick and her babe,
six months old, both Of whom have been
suffering from smallpox, were discharged
from the hospital yesterday. The baby was
the first to contract the disease, which it
is supposed brought to the family in
mail from Newark, N. j. Mrs. Fitzpatrick
went to the hospital with the infant and
in a little while contracted the disease her
self Both suffered but little. the type be-
ing mild in character.
Cases Under Treatment
Hardly had Mrs. Fitzpatrick and her child
left the institution when it discovered
that Mrs. Nora V. Cave and her babe. ten
months old, had developed the disease.
Mrs. Cave and her daughter are the wife
and child, respectively, of Levi ]. Cave,
the white hotel porter who was taken to
the hospital several days ago from his
home at 415 9TH street northeast. Mrs.
Cave and the child had been in the deten-
disease in the family. The entire family,
husband, mother and child is now in the
hospital.
Charles Brown of 1412 Madison street,
who has been suffering from the disease.
was discharged from the hospital Saturday
night.
Value of Vaccination.
DR.. w c. Woodward, the health officer,
spoke interestingly this morning In regard
to the value and efficacy Of vaccination.
He sad:
nineteen cases Of smallpox have been
reported since January 1. OF the patients
seventeen have never been vaccinated in
any manner whatsoever, one has never
been successfully vaccinated and one was
successfully vaccinated in childhood nine
teen years ago. Previous outbreaks Of the
disease in this city have shown the same
conditions; persons who have been success
fully vaccinated do not ordinarily contract
the disease, or, If by reason OF improper
vaccination or Of vaccination at too remote
periods, they are taken sick they usually
do not have smallpox in a severe form.
Local experience in this respect has
been merely confirmatory of observations
generally throughout the world since vac
cination was first introduced a preven-
tive of smallpox. Figures might be multi
piled almost indefinitely to support this
statement. Such figures, however, are
merely cOnfirmatory of the common expe-
rience Of dairymen and cowkeepers In Eng
land a century and a half ago, that a per-
son who had been inoculated with cow
pnx would not develop smallpox. Jenner
himself was led to the investigations which
have rendered him immortal by overhear-
ing in his preceptor's office a chance re-
mark Of dairy maid, who, referring to
smallpox said: I cannot take that disease,
for l have had cowpox.' Through his eff
forts the incubation Of human beings with
the virus Of cowpox SO as Intentionally to
confer immunity from small pox was in
troduced and is the practice now known as
vaccination.
Facilities for Testing.
1.-THE facilities for testing the emc1ency
of vaccination as a preventive OF small
pox were much better when Jenner an
nounced the results of his observations
than they are now. and even If he had not
used such facilities to prove his theories
before announcing them they would have
enabled other observers to demonstrate
promptly the inefticency Of vaccination if
it had been possible to do SO. Jenners an
nouncement was made at time when it
was not unusual to inOculate the well with
virus from patients suffering from small
pox so that the former might have the
disease at a convenient time and in the
hope that they might have 1t In mild
form There was. therefore, no reason at
that time why the protective power of
vaccination should not be determined by
| inoculating vaccinated individuals with
virus from cases Of smallpox. This was
actually done with the effect of showing
the efficiency of vaccination as a prevent
i've. The growth Of the practice since that
time would not have been possible did not
vaccination accomplish what Is claimed
for it.
"A single vaccination cannot be relied
upon to confer immunity against smallpox
| for can indefinite time. With the changes In
| the tissues Of the body immunity may
gradually disappear, and the person once
| Immune become susceptible to the disease.
Susceptibility can, however be readily
measured by revaccination. If immunity
still continues vaccination will not take
| If partial immunity remains the results of
vaccination will be more or less modified;
| that Is, the sore will differ In some respects
| from the ordinary sore found after the vac
cination Of an unvacc1nated individual In
| some cases the immunity conferred by
single vaccination Is only partial even from
| the beginning. For this reason 1t has been
recommended that vaccination be performed
| repeatedly until no reaction occurs, or that
| the virus be inserted in three or four places
instead Of at one. as is common prac-
| tice in this country. The bad results that
i - ,l~, f1or I'd of ,ok
| BILE to vaccination itself, but are to be
| looked upon rather as avoidable accidents,
| due usually to oversight or neglect on the
| part Of the physician or patient. The vac
| cine virus may be at fault in some cases,
but with modern precautions accidents due
/ to 1t must be rare