New-York tribune., 1905-08-30
VACCINATlNG CHILDREN.
Board Of Education Begins It's
Work on East Side.

TIE contrast between compulsory vaccination to-
Gay sne g dozen years age Is striknglv illustrated
hy the scenes which may he witnessed any morn
iug o. afternoon these days az the Educational
Alliance, East Broadway and Jefrerson-st.. where
the Board OF Health doctors viii be in attendance
from 20 y o'clock every morning and from to
O'clock every afternoon TO vaccinate all the little
folks who care 10 come 10 them.
After the schools open and il is found necessary
- clear Up the fag ends OF unvaccinated children
there may be some opposition. but the children who
g. 20 tho Alliance have learned that vaccination Is
a necessary condition Of going TO school, and regard
81 as mere formality that has be gone through
with They hare their arms pf their own accord
and submit 10 the operation with the utmost ndit
ference
They are 50 used 70 it," said one of the DOCTORS
'that 1hev could not possibly get nervous about it.
And then vaccination isn't what II used 70 be. I
can remember having wound as big as a half
dollar made on my arm We know now that there
= 10 use n that. The vaccine doesn't take bit
herter. and the danger OF infection is increased
We don much blood II is only necessary
- break the capIlaries q little. II a delicate
operation. and not as easy as it looks. The point
IS 10 make as nany scratches as possible in the
desired area without hu~ing the child. If il is
done properly u ought 20 be perfectly painless
operation. would guarantee 10 vsccinate child
ir its sleep. without waking il But though there
is no pain the children are sometimes frightened
q; rhe sight OF the blood n girls schools have
seen half dozen faint. one after another. from
This cause. Painting Is contagious. and when one
faints others are almost sure Ia do I avoid
This now by not letting them see each others
arms"
As each child was vaccira-ed IT received a per
mir TO sttend school until examined again ny an
officer OF the Health Department. Vaccination
certificates not issued until II is learned that
rhe operario on has been successful A printed slip
bearing instructions 70 -he mother is also given
the child. She Is told NOT 70 bandaEe the arm be
osuse anything tight causes irritation but 10 line
The loose shirt sleeve with clean white cotton or
linen. baSting IT into The armhole and having II
long enough 10 reach below the elbow No wooIlen
sleeve IS 10 b allowed touch the arm and if IL
becomes much inHamed after the tenth day IT Is
not 70 be pouIJiced. but kept covered with cloth
wet with luke warm water. The mother Is also
told that there is more smallpox in winter than
81 any o-ner time Cr the year. and that she ought
no therefore 10 postpone vsccinatiO until spring
ms warning Is necessitared by the fact thai
lote-gn poPul2tloc cr me city 70 relegare Their
dealings with the medical profession 10 that time
G ne year " men spring comes around they want
70 take medicine 10 clear their blood and they
after, bur precisely on Nav J.
-he vaccination headquarters the Educational
@lllance are an innovation designed TO the
parents OF the neighborhood from the incon-
board o. Health, 6th-ave- and 55th-st., the
branch ONCE az Nos IS and = El-st. Most Of the
cniicren are able 10 alone 10 the Educational
A1Ilance- Occasionally they are accompanied by a
Not many children have been vaccinated thus
faF. as the parents 90 Know YET what is going
On They 90 not read the newspapers, and news
travels slowly among Them BY word OF mouth