Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-01-11
DR.. DIXON'S PLEA
FOR VACCINATION
State Health Commissioner Earnestly
Appeals to Parents to Protect
Their Children From the
Horrors Of Smallpox
SAYS PEOPLE ARE MISGUIDED
Anti-vaccinationists Fill Parents
Minds With Prejudice, But In Spite
OF Opposition the Law Is Being

Enforced In Thousands OF Schools.
DR.. Samuel G. Dixon. state commits
sioner of health, has given out the
following interview in reference to the
enforcement of the vaccination law:
While the United States govern
ment licenses and holds under super
vision the vaccine farms of the coun-
try in order that our people may have
vaccine virus produced In the purest
state for protection against the most
terrible and loathsome disease known
to man, and while the Prussian empire
by compulsory vaccination has practi-
cally exterminated smallpox, the great
state of Pennsylvania has depended
largely on the intelligence Of her peo-
pie to guard against the disease by
voluntary. vaccination.
ITO the credit of our citizens this
precaution has been widely taken, but
the 1900 cases of smallpox that have
occurred in Pennsylvania during the
last few years. and which have given
this state black mark among her
sister commonwealths, show the need
of enforcing the laws that have been
passed by our legislatures for the
purpose Of getting our people vacci-
mated.
"One OF these laws, the act of June
Is, 1905. provides that our children in
the schools must all be vaccinated,
and that if the parents of the children
refuse to permit their children and
the community to be thus guarded
against smallpox such children shall
not be permitted to attend the schools.
Thousands Being vacelnated.
while thousands of school children
throughout the state are being vacci-
mated with the consent Of their par
ents, who desire to protect their lit
tie ones against the ravages of small
pox. l am ashamed to say that GER
tain men are going about the state
seeking for self-advertisement to in
cite the ignorant against vaccination
and to influence our school teachers
to become law-breakers.
THE widest literature Is circulated
depicting alleged horrors of vaccina-
tion. In some districts you will find
that the death Of nearly every child
in the community 10 being laid to vac
cination.
Danger Of Smallpox.
Il realize how parent will oppose
the vaccination OF his child when the
mind Of such parent has been filled
with blind prejudice and ignorant SUI
perstition. If this parent could only
realize the crime he or she commits
against the child by leaving 1t exposed
to the horrors of smallpox.
"The anti-vaccinationists go into a
community and they say to the par
ents: You have no smallpox around
here now. There is no danger from
smallpox. Why then submit your
children to vaccination These men
know that smallpox turks in the hand.
shake, that a victim of the mildest
form OF the disease may come into a
community that has never known
smallpox. and that the infection thus
introduced may quickly attack an en-
tire unvaccinated district, carrying off
hundreds OF children and adults be-
fore the epidemic has been checked.
The very tramp that comes along the
country road and asks aims of your
child may in return for the little ones
Kindness infect 1t with deadly small
pox.
These are facts, and, therefore. the
vaccination law Is wise when it re-
quires that unvaccinated children shall
be debarred from school in the rural
district as well as the crowded CITY,"
A Strong Personal Plea.
The following letter has been sent
by Health Commissioner Dixon to a
leading citizen of a district where
anti-vaccinationists have stirred up op-
position to the enforcement of the law:
Ny Dear Sir-The fact that your
people are misguided worries me
much. They do not realize how sym
nent danger and yet refuse to protect
themselves. They seem to be crazed
on vaccination, which fact is inconsist-
ent with their faith in antitoxin for
diphther1a, demonstrated by the fact
that they receive from one hand of
the commonwealth the antitoxin which
Is produced In the horse. while they
refuse to accept from the other hand
Of this state vaccine which IS pro-
duced from the cow.
This alone convincea me that their
minds have been poisoned by some
eharlatans statepents wish could
influence them to listen to the facts
which have convinced the medical
profession of the great blessing that
vaccination has been to humanity.
Unchain the horrible monster
small-pox-by taking away vaccina-
ton, ana inside OF two generations our
dustries paraly2ed and her cemeteries
overerqwded with the victims OF That
dread disease.
Your people say they have not had
smallpox for 40 years. DO they ever
stop to realize the fact that many Of
longer period without having had them
reduced TO ashes by fire, and yet dur
ins that entire time they have been
wise enough to keep up their ffre in,
surancef Why is this? Because they
know that fire may come at any time
and leave them homeless.
Why. therefore. do they not realize
that smallpox may come at any mo-
meAt and rake away from them those
nearest and dearest to their hearts.
robbing them OF all that is In life to
make them happy?
Unjust Criticism.
have suffered much by having a
people like yours criticise me when
am working day and night to try and
save their lives. 1t Is not pleasant to
me to make work for myself and give
up the comforts of a home life at this
age.
Two-thirds of my stay on this earth
has been spent in scientific laboratory
work, wallowing in communicable dis
eases to try and discover prophylac-
tics in other diseases, such as Jenner
found for smallpox. and this without
money reward.
1t is. therefore, under these circum-
stances, diseouraging to read the ar
ticles In your local papers, which al
most incite your people TO believe that
I delight in doing their children harm.
This Is a great mistake have but one
child and she has been vaccfnated
about every five years OF her life.
Why? Because / know the horrors OF
smallpox. the innocence OF vaccina-
.fon, and its great preventive quality.
Prussia has exterminated smallpox
from the empire by vaccination to
such an extent that she has done away
with her smallpox hospitals.
In the Municipal Hospital in Phila-
delphia we have had 5000 cases of
smallpox spreading over series Of
years. during which time not a single
doctor nurse or attendant who was sue
cessfully vaccinated contracted small
poX.
Such statistics as these / could cite
you at great length, but II would be
tiresome. Where vaccination Is not
carried on we get the opposite result
In the city or Valparaiso. Chile, there
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