The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27

inconvenience to the public NOT TO speak
of the fact that most boys and girls of
fourteen (at which age the curfew law does
not apply prefer Juvenile books, there is
the case of mothers and teachers who desire
to get books for their children. They are
too busy to visit the library during the
day, and when they live at a distance in
volving q long streetCar ride, find it very
difficult to reach the library before in the
evening especially as the library time is
kept little faster than other time. There
are many cases of parents and teachers
the children, for days or weeks. on ac-
count of the o'clock closing of the Juvenile
ROOM
The smallpox experiment of the sixty
medical students at Toronto was triumph
antly tried on much larger scale and with
fewer precautions more than forty years
ago. A young physician. DIR. Geo. M. Sta
pies, was resimental surgeon of one of the
early regiments of the civil war. He after
ward rose to be head surgeon of the divis-
ion.
DR.. Staples had a theory, at that time
somewhat novel, which he explained to his
men while they lay in camp az ST. Louis.
This theory was that every person has
certain amount of susceptibility to small
pox. In most persons this susceptibility is
overcome for the time by a single vaccina-
ton Others require successive vaccina-
lions to render them immune. He explained
to the men that if they would cheerfully
cooperate with him in his experiment.
they would render great service to medi-
cal science, and, also be made perfectly
safe from smallpox. The men took great
interest in the idea and consented with en-
thusiasm. He vaccinated the regiment
and after they had thoroughly recovered
vaccinated them again. On 237 persons
the second vaccination took" He then
tried third vaccination on this 237, and it
worked on forty-three of them. The forty
three being vaccinated for fourth time
it worked on two of them.
Soon after the series of vaccinat tons was
concluded, the regiment went into active
service in the campaign that resulted in
the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson
After the fall of Donelson the men were
assigned quarters in the comfortable bar
racks vacated by the Confederates. Glad
of shelter from the piercing cold his men
eagerly took possession of the particular
barracks assigned them. In their hasty de-
parture the Confederates had left even their
blankets behind. DR.. Staples went TO inspect
the quarters. and cried in horror, "Why.
pital. Get out of this till the place has been
cleaned and disinfected." "Oh! we're sa fer
they gleefully shouted back, we've been
vaccinated. You said we were safe. We
want to get in out of the cold" And they
| gaily shook ouI the blankets, swept the
hunks and floors. and took possession The
doctor viewed this extreme test OF his ex
! pertinent with grave apprehension, but in
! spite OF the extraordinary and continued
| exposure, there were but four cases az
smallpox in the regiment These four men
confessed that, not believing in vaccination
| they had escaped being vaccinated at ali
| by slyly shifting their places in the line
| In regard to the spelling Of few English
words. you pays your money and you
takes your choice The indianapolis
Journal spells a certain acrobatic feat
''somersault;" the indianapolis spelling
book makes il 'summersault:" the diction-
airy indorses both. and also 'summerset''
and somerset" This ought TO satisfy
evea spelling reformer.