Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-03-25
SPREAD OF SMALLPOX
QUITE GENERAL IN THE UNITED
STATES AND ENGLAND.
Millions Have Already Been Expended
in Efforts TO Check the Disease Vac.
cination Is the Most Potent Pre-
yentive-Iuteresting Statistics.

Smallpox continues 10 spread through
out the United States and England I'M
many places it is practically epidemic.
Ii has gained such firm foothold in
some sections OF the United States that
public schools and theaters have been
closed Yellow quarantine fags are tiy-
ing from hundreds of houses in New
Jersey, Connecticut. portions of Pennsyl-
vanit and many of the Southern and
Western States. Whole communities
have become panic stricken and riotous
acts have not been infrequent
The authorities of England and this
country have adopted the most stringent.
measures to prevent the further spread
of the contagion. All Seamen ON the yeS
sells of the two countries mrst be vac
cinated
So serious is the scourge in London
that the plague ships on the river
Thames are overcrowded and barracks
have been erected along the banks ~
the stre:Jm to accommodate the patients.
1t is estimated that the doctors of the
worlds metropolis have aiceady receiv-.
ed more than $6,000.000 in vaccination
fees. The Metropolitan Asylum's Board,
which has charge of the smallpox hos
pitfalls, has already expended nearly 81
100000 in equipping pest houses. 10.
meet these extraordinary expenditures
the board has been compelled To incur
loans which it can only hope to repay in
the course of fifteen years. Inquiries
and discussion regarding the situation
have taken place ii Parliament.
\ peculiar feature brought about by the
epidemic in London is insurance against
death from the disease. People flock 20
the insurance companies some OF which
have established special rates for the
occasion. The business of the companies
is unprecedented The average policy i
$1,000, although some financial men
have insured as high as $4,000
In the United states.
The disease has been prevalent in the
United States for fully year, but the
past few weeks it has rapidly spread So
perts have beer employed 10 check. il
possible, the scourise and it is expected
that 100000 will be expended for this
purpose. The Elen Of the Quaker City
have been vaccinatcd in such large nun-
bers that they have resorted to device
to prevent contact with their sore arms.
On their coat sleeves over the vaccina-
tons they wear red flannel discs and
these danger signals are prevalent on the
streets.
Boston has a number of cases, but the
wholesale vaccination has held the dis
ease somewhat in check The officials
have had much trouble there with anti
vaccination advocates. but the policemen
aided the doctors and enforced the rules
of the health board The compulsory
methods have aroused a hornets nest.
however for Boston is the hotbed of the
anti-vaccination propaganda.
The value of vaccination and intelligent
systematic work have kept the number
of cases in New York at a very low iE-
ure. For months large squads of phy
sicians, REINFORCED by the police, have
been at work daily with the vaccine
point Public schools, department stores.
industrial concerns and other centers Of
population have been regularly visited
and their inmates and occupants vacc-
mated. Immigrants must submit to vac
cination and their baggage is thorough
~ fumigated In fact. every precaution
known to medical and sanitary science
has been taken and is being vigorously
enforced. The result is that New York
has suffered less than any large city Of
the country.
In the whole world the mortality among
persons unvaccinated has been 35 per
cent. while among those inoculated with
vaccine virus the per cent ranges from
6 to s. In England of 4,754 cases which
were observed the death rate among per-
sons vaccinated once was 7.6 per cent;
twice, Z per cent; three times, A. per
cent; four times, "a Thus it seems
that the oftener one is vaceinated the
better.
Previous Epidemics.
In 1885 a Pullman car conductor from
Chicago introduced smallpox into Mon
treal and before the disease could be
checked 1900 people had died. The
scourge continued there for years and
resulted in roting in the streets In
1871 an epidemic swept over Germany
and was not alaycd until $4,000 lives
had been sacrificed At that time vacci-
nation was compulsory In the army, but
optional among civilians. Now yaceina
ton and reyaccination are compulsory
throughout tie empire. Infants are moe
ulated when l year old and again al the
age of 10. The result has been a very
small per cent OF deaths from the dis
ease.
When the FrancO-Prussian war was IN
progress the smallpox was rampant
throughout Europe. The French. who
had tabooed vaccination lost $4,000
men from the disease, while the Ger
mans lost only 27S French prisoners Of
war died by hundreds. while their Ger