The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-10-16
QUESTION OF COMPULSORY VACCINATION

as it is chimerical and it is as irrational
as it is presumptuous." Another au-
thority cited is Dr. Stowelf, an English
physician Of twenty years experience
who says: THE general declaration OF
my patients enables me to proclaim
that the vaccination notion is not only
a delusion, but a curse to humanity
Charles Ruata in the New York Medi-
cal Journal July %. 1899, makes the
startling statement that 9S.5 per cent
of the population were vaccinated and
yet in the years 1SS7-S8-S9 AZ 272 deaths
from smallpox occurred. In Italy there
were 5000 deaths. while 80 per cent OF
the people were vaccinated The sweep
ing statement is made that about SO
per cent of all physicians who have
practiced their professions more than
five years know that vaccination is not
only dangerous, but entirely ineffective
as a preventive against smallpox
Many physicians claim that immunity
can be secured by the use OF certain
preventive remedies. Revaccination is
strongly objected to on the ground that
no doctor is certain from the cicatrix
whether reVaccination is necessary or
not One prominent speaker cited the
case CT a man who was declared i'm
mune on account of a remarkab bly,
good cicatrix. when the fact was it
was only the scar from the bite of a
colt. The opposition holds that doctors
who practice it should be made to nav
damages in case Of death or disability
They say that the mildness of modern
epidemics is due solely to isolation and
sanitation. THE whole world is vacci-
mated and yet smallpox exists"
Statistics from the armies Of differ
ent countries are given to prove that
soldiers vaccinated and revaccinated
many times have not been immune
from attacks Of the disease. In fact. it
is asserted that epidemics begin with
the vaccinated and the revaccinated.
Some Of the prominent speakers at
characterization meetings have been
those whose objection to the practice
is based upon the loss by death of some
member Of the family as a result Of
vaccination and it is held that compuI-
sion under such painful circumstances
is little less than cruelty. In support
of their opposition to its continuance
many STATISTICS nave Deen compiled to
show the cause Of death to have been
from vaccination. 1t is said that in
England $4,000 children are annually
slaughtered by disease inoculated into
the system by virus, while by far a
greater number are disabled or injured
for life. 1t is commended that there is
no definite way for physicians to de-
termine the character of the vaccine
used, and that there is no way of test
ing the absolute purity of what is
placed upon the market. In the north
of England a house to house canvass
was made for the purpose of gaining
trustworthy information, with the re-
suit that $50 deaths were alleged to
be due to vaccination, while there were
1855 cases Of injury recorded It is
cited that nine cases of lockjaw &C.
CURED in Philadelphia In three days.
Another instance mentioned is that out
of forty inoculated children nine died
Of vaccinia. In 1885 DR.. Andua.
prominent physician OF Asprieres, vac
cinated forty-two children. All were
attacked with fever, and six were dead