The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1907-12-13
NO MORE
QUARANTINE b
New Law for Small POX to 90
Into Effect january l>t.
MINI. HAS SAME LAW
Should Not Compulsory Vaccination
Law Be Enacted as Well? Law
Optional in Cities.


Optional in Cities.
A new law will 90 into effect
in this state on january |, pro-
viding that no house infested
with smallpox shall be placed
under quarantine. AS a warn
ing that there is smallpox in
the house a sign indicative OF
that fact will be tackled up, but
the dwelling will not be quar-
antined. This sign will be
placed by the local health
authorities as soon as it is dis
covered that the disease is in
the house.
Vaccination is the only
solution to the spread of small
pOx, says the state board of
health. Therefore the new
law provides, on the recon-
mendation of the board, that
a free vaccine law will 90 into
effect throughout the ia te.
This means that an allotment
of vaccine virus will be sent
to thes different local drug
S torres for free distribution.
This may be taken to the local
health officer, who will apply
it. The law provides that he
shall receive compensation for
so doing from the state.
The anti-quarintine law was
also meant to do away with the
expense incurred by m an y
counties in the maintenance
of pest houses. 1t is meant
to govern the whole state,
however, and the understand
ing is that it is optional with
cities, such as ours, as to
whether the quarantine shall
be maintained or not. That
is for the local health board
to decide.
The Minnesota state board of
health which takes like action,
expresses it's views on h e
ub ject of vaccination as
| follows:
Without going outside our
own state, the records of the
past few years show that quar-
antine has done but little to-
wards preventing the spread
of the disease. The records of
Minnesota show up to August,
1907, 31,2O1 cases, with 22O
deaths. There have probably
been at least $4,000 cases of
smallpox in Minnesota during g
period referred to above Jan. 1,
1899, to Aug. 1, 1907, for many
cases were not reported, and
hence not recorded. Every
careful observer will testify
that the smallpox cases coming g
under observation in the above
record, have not prcvlile e d
among the we'll vaccinatcd
people of Minnesota.
with these facts before the
board, it seemed unwise to
continue placing a heavy fin
ancial burden upon citizens
and municipalities in a con-
tinued attempt to control this
disease in whole or in part by
means of quarantine.'
AS to whether this law is
right remains as yet to be seen,
but we are of the opinion that
a compulsory vaccination law
will need be enacted, compell-
ing people to be vaccinated.
A great many people would
as soon be infested with small
pox, were there no law to
place them under quarantine,
as to submit to the application
of vaccine virus.
The specific micro-organism
causing smallpox has as yet,
not been discovered. Proto-
zoans and bacteria taken from
the pustular discharges Of
smallpox patients have been
carefully studied by the lead
ing psychologists with neg
ative results. but it is known
that vaccination, isolation OF
the sick and proper disinfec-
ton will prevent the spreading
of the dreaded disease.
1t is definitely known that
Iinanimate objects which have
come in contact with tn e
Ipatient or the infectious dis.