The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-01-01

COOP health may be defined as physical con-
dition in which perfect equilibrium exists among
the functions of the organism. In other words
when each organ of the body performs ts prescribed
functions doing more nor less than nature in
tended it should, good health is the result Whether
this state of equilibrium be disturbed without
more or less permanent injury to more
organs, and consequent injury to the health of the
individual, is question that is engaging the at
tention of large number of thinking people, both
among laymen and physicians. Those believing in
the efficacy of vaccination of the opinion that
the introduction of the disease known as cowpox
into the human system is in itself comparatively
harmless while through it the serious disease,
smallpox, is averted. Anti-vaccinationists (and
their number is steadily increasingly of take
the opposite stand
ject by DR.. j. M. PEBBLES of Battle Greek, Michigan,
a copy of which has been received by The MIRROR.
The title explains where the author stands on the
question. Dr. PEBBLES bases his argument against
vaccination the following premises: That cowpox
is in no wise related to smallpox, being disease
common to horses and transmitted to COWS by care
less mixers. That human being having contracted
it is not immune to smallpox. That various forms
of blood poisoning transmitted through vaccna-
tion That filth is the of smallpox and finally
that personal cleanliness and proper sanitation
the most efficient representatives. of the disease
Dr. PEBBLES devotes more than three hundred
pages to facts and figures support of his assertions
>incuding statistical reports from nearly every coun-
try the globe, all tending to corroborate his
statements He lays particular stress the fact
that during the past half century the zymotic
diseases yellow fever scarlet fever, diphthe1ia
typhus, etc-have shown as large decrease in the
mortality statistics of Europe and America in pro-
portion to the population smallpox; which, DR.
PEBBLES believes, goes to prove that improved SAM
tary conditions rather than vaccination respon-
sibe for the falling off in the annual number OF
smallpox victims. Compulsory vaccination laws are
attacked and the integrity of physicians upholding
them is impugned.
DR.. PEBBLES book was evidently written for the
perusal of laymen, we'll members of the medical
profession, and in reading such work anyone who
is not in position to investigate and verify each
statement himself does we'll to remember that by
emitting facts which do not support foregone con
clusion, and by stating only side of question
very strong case be presented. We do not say
Dr. PEBBLES has done this. Perhaps he has. Per
haps not. We do not know.
AS to the statement that smallpox and cowpoz
are not related that is something wholly within the
province of psychologists. DR.. PEBBLES assertion
that human being is not necessarily immune te
smallpox because he has been vaccinated is un
questionably true. There persons who appear
to have positive idiosyncrasy toward the disease
and who contract it each time they exposed, nc
amount of vaccination acting as preventative II
is also true beyond peradventure that hundreds Of
cases of blood poisoning have resulted from vacci