The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-02-19

epidemic Of smallpox in which 10 per
cent of the unvaccinated children
were attacted while only one-half of
one per cent of these who had been
vaccinated had the disease.
Gloucester had an epidemic in 1903
the mortality among the vaccinated
was 80 per cent while among the IN
vaccinated the mortality was fl.
DR.. Sidney COPELAND remarked in his
report of this particular epidemic
The disparity is quite as marked
when the type of the attack is contrast
ed. Out of COZ cases of severe attack
malignant, continent and indetermin-
ate there actually occurred only three
among the vaccinated"
The prejudice entertained by a linn
tied number of people against this
beneficial operation is mainly based
upon the fear that germs of other dis
ease may be inoculated together with
the vaccine virus, prejudice for which
one might well be excused when the
old practice of transferring virus from
person to person was in vogue-a meth
Cd long since discarded.
With reference to a form of blood
poisoning much more to be dreaded
than smallpox, DR.. w. II. Park of the
meteorological laboratory of the New
York board of health, makes the fol-
lowing statement: In the ), 500, 900
primary vaccinations done during the
sessions of the royal commission ION
vaccination) in England 1895 there
was not single case proved, and every
alleged case was investigated.
An equally immaginary peril from
tuberculosis and tetanus has also been
imputed to vaccination, but DR.. Parker
declares: yet there is no case on
record in which tuberculosis was ever
conveyed by vaccination.
Further by way OF scientific expert
ment, it has been demonstrated by Dr..
S. NJ. Copman, an English expert, that
the mixing Of pure glycerine with bo-
vine lymph, that the glycerine viii
destroy any bacteria that might find its
way into the virus. His demonstrations
showed that after mixing yirdlent
culture of~tubercular bacilla with the
virus and glycerlne, properly protected
from air and light, that in a stated
time the tubercular bacilla would be
absolutely sterile.
Now but one point in your article re.
mains uncovered, your statement that
the virus is supposed and supposed
only to be from some healthy person.
bespeaks ignorance of the manner of
the present mode OF collecting it.
The days when leach scratched the
arem of patient with dirty lance
which had not been disinfected since
possibly having lanced an absess, or
with a scalpel used as an instrument in
the dissecting room. and the scarifed
surface inoculated from virus from an
other person, has passed away with the
age of barbarism long, long ago. No
physician of today would entertain such
a thought as to use virus from one per-
son to inOculate another, nor would lie
be recognized or accredited any stand
ing whatever among the medical pro-
fession were he to follow any other
course than the use of the regularly
prescribed and specially prepared DO
vine virus. This biological product is
secured from calves, possibly from the
COW. Those animals are carefully Sc
lected and are constantly under the
surveillance Of expert veternaries.
These auimals are kept at the highest
notch of physical perfectness, until the
time is ripe for their incubation. From
these specially selected animals is
taken the virus that today mitigates
the attack if not entire imunizes our
children from one of the most loath-
some and at one time the greatest
scourge England ever knew. In the
feudal days its victims were numbered
by the thousands and the country was
totally depopulated in certain areas.
Two or three centuries ago smooth
face was as uncommon in England as
pitted one is now.
As the custom OF vaccination has
grown in favor and general use the Sc
verify of the disease has steadily de-
creased.
Not few Of the readers of The Dawn
will recall the epidemic of smallpox
which occurred in our county as well
as throughout the United states, in
-l,a..l,dod on nane D.