The Washington herald., 1907-09-09
COMPULSORY Vaccination.

Editor The Washington Herald;
In the public meeting Of the District
az Columbia Protective Association last
Friday evening. Mr. Harry B. Bradford,
Of Kensington, Md. read an interesting
paper on Compulsory Vaccination. lie
took strong grounds against vaccination.
under all circumstances. and gave cogent
reasons from medical authorities in both
America and Europe for tal1slg the ad-
vanced position he holds
The press Of the city gave COMPARE
lively 'little attention 10 the subject so
fully presented by M Bradford The
fullest account. permit me to say, Mr.
ESitor. was given by The Washington
Herald In fact, the completed report
of the meeting was given by that paper.
Through the same medium l desire,
Mr. Editor, to present a few thoughts on
the question Of vaccination. As a hum
BILE citizen who desires 60 occupy the
right side-not necessarily the popular
one-of every question. have devoted
considerable attention 70 the matter dur
ing the last forty years. ! have kept
trace of the smallpox scaresT and vac
CinatiOn crazes." and have a mine Of
practical facts and observations thereon.
In 1S77-7S I was superintendent Of the
schools Of a Buckeye city in which the
smallpox broke out. We had no scare
nor were the schools closed as was the
case in the adjoining towns and cities.
The board of education was composed
Of sensible business men, who intrusted
the schools implicitly to my supervision
Whenever a case of smallpox developed
1 requested the parents to keep their
children at home, nurse them. and not
return them TO school until they had re-
covered from the malady. We had no
smallpox fiagsi exhibited. nor did bust
ness men have reason to complain of
manufactured smallpox scares," which
often prove so ruinous 70 communities.
There was no vaccination rage" either
voluntary or compulsory. Nor were there
any deleteriOus results for the future
AS the result OF my experience and
observations. extending through quite
fifty years, I desire to affirm most en-
phatically:
/ I am opposed, absolutely. to every
kind Of vaccination. It is unnatural; and
If no fees were attached to 1t the prac-
tice would not continue q single year.
2. Il is not, as alleged, a preventive Of
smallpox. 1t is as unnatural as the
theory that child subjected 20 the bite
Of one Of the rattlesnakes at the Zoolog-
ical Park, would be immune to all snake
bites in the future
3. It is harmful. The practice intro
duces into the system a poison that may
be instrumental in making the subject
victim OF all sorts Of disease-syphilis,
epilepsy, cancer. consumption. &C To
subject an innocent, helpless, healthy
child to such Infamous treatment is the
crime of crimes" and ought 20 be pun
ished with the severest penalties of the
law.
Hundreds OF thousands Of our people
have. during the past two months, been
deprived of pure water and compelled TO
drink the contaminated water Of the Pc
tomac. thus poisoning their systems and
inducing disease. Farmers COWS have
been subjected to tests that have dis
eased their milk Now the health officer
has issued orders to the board of educa-
ton and TO parents to have the blood of
school children poisoned as a condition
Of entering upon another school years
wo-k
Language cannot adequately portray
the eilOi lii+t5 u tiiiS cuet age upon human
ity. I am reminded of an analogous case
that came under my observation in Ohio
in 1876. A man whom knew well went
to the home Of his brother one evening.
and. while the wife was milking her cows,
put arsenic into the yeast which she
was ready TO use the next day in baking
bread.
The following day he visited his broth
er's home at noon, and when asked to
partake Of dinner he refused. Some Of
the bread baked from the poisoned yeast