Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-11-21
VALUE OF VACCINATION
Some Statistics Showing How il
Easily Prevents Disease
PREVALENCE OF SMALLPOX
Throughout W4si Virginia Makes Precau-
ton Necessary Matter Should MOI
=. n
Be Neglected By Any One.

The recommendation OF the state
board of health as given in Satardav's
issue Of The Evening World, are well
worth consideration. The fact that
certain CONTAGIOUS diseases are ureva-
lent throughout the state is in itself
sufficient reason for exercising the
\ strictest care that the community
may be safeguarded against an cpl
demic.
DIR. Bizzozoziro. in a recent lecture
delivered ut Rome, recalled strikingly
20 his audience the success of vaccina-
tion in Germany. He said: Ger
many stands alone in fulfilling in a
great measure the demands of hygiene,
having in consequence of the calaml-
tous smallpox epidemic of 1901
enacted the law of 1874 which makes
vaccination obligatory in the first
wear of life, and revaccination oblig-
atorv at the tenth year. What. was
the result? With population so. 600, :
900 having in 1871 lost $4,000 lives
by smallpox, she found by her law of
1874 the mortality diminishedl SO rap
idly that today the disease numbers
only 1i6 victims a year. These cases
moreover occur almost exclusively in
towns on her frontier.
II it we're true that a good yaccina-
ton does not protect from SMALLPOX,
we ought TO finl in smallpox cpl
denies that the disease diffuses itself
in the well vaccinatei no less than
inrnon- vaccinated countries. But it is
not so. In 1S7Q-Tl. during the Fran.
oo-German war the two peoples inter
penetrated each other, the German
having it's civil population vaccinated
optionally, but its Earmy completely
vaccinated. while the French (popu-
lation and army alike) were vaccina-
ted perfunctorily. Both were attack
ed by rsmallpox. The French army
numbered $4,000 deaths bv it while
the German army had only 27S and in
the same tent breathing the same air,
the French wounded we're heavily Wis.
tied by the disease while the German
wounded having been vaccinsted, had
not single.case. +"
The protection, provided the virus
is pure, is believed to be as complete
against contagion as is that of small.
pox against second attack, though
not of so long duration. but revacci-
nation, whenever smallpox is preva-
lent in community, will continue
this protection indefinitely. There.
fore, the first measure after isolation.
of person suffering with smallpox
is the immediate vaccination of all
persons who have been exposed TO the
disease and revaccination in five or
six days if.there is no indication Ct
the pevious virus having been effect
i've.
In order to secure pure vaccine the
supply should be obtained from an ac.
credited source. If the vaccination
has been successful it will be found
that in course of three or four days
small papule Will appear, which soon
after becomes vascular. and is sur
rouned by circumscribed areola; this
gradually increases until the seventh
or eighth day: in the meantime a
crust falls Off
Due care should be exercised to pre-
vent the vaccination from being ir-
ritated or the seal from being
broken and to prevent the wound
from becoming infected. Adhesive
plaster should not be used for this
purpose.