New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-12-25
The CONTROL OF SMALLPOX
Secretary Of State Board OF Health
Airs His Views on Much Dis.
cussed Topic.
Denounces Quarantine AS an Evil
dence of Helplessness, Often
Of Ignorance.
Compulsory Vaccination the Only
True Means of Effective
Suppression.

/ In view Of the almost universal cri-
ticism of the state board Of healh's at
titude relative to the quarantining of
smallpox, DR.. Bracken, secretary of
| the board, has seen fit to come to the
defense of the board in an article in
which he talks right out in meeting =
Here is what he says:
Quarantine is an old-time method
/ of trying to prevent the spread of dis
ease. It is an evidence of helpless
ness, often of ignorance Whenever
the true cause of any disease becomes
known attention should be directed
to its prevention before it occurs, rath-
Ter than to its suppression after it has
fgained foothold. This is we'll illus
trated by the change of procedure that
has taken place in dealing with yellow
fever. Before the means of transmits
i sion of this disease was known, the
quarantine methods used to control its
spread were most rigid. Now, when
the world knows that only a mosquito
can transfer yellow fever from an in
fected individual to a healthy person,
quarantine is practically abandoned
and attention is directed solely to de-
stroying the mosquitoes capable of
transmitting the disease.
HConditions relating to smallpox
are comparable with those relating to
yellow fever, for we have in vaccina-
tion as thorough a means of controll-
ing smallpox as we have in the de-
struotion of certain mosquitoes means
of controlling yellow fever. In neither
of these diseases have we as yet con-
vincing evidence Of their true cause,
but we do know how to prevent infec-
ton in both. With such knowledge,
quarantine is no longer neces sary for
either.
"Quarantine to be effective must be-
of the shotgun type, and this should
no longer be tolerated for either yell
low fever or smallpox, for science has
demonstrated that there are other
more efficient and less demoralizing
means of controlling both. Even shot
gun quarantine does not control all
cases of either smallpox or yellow
fever, as is shown by various cpl
denies in connection with both dis
eases, the mild, unrecognized, and
concealed cases being always on hand
to evade the most rigid of quarantine
methods.
81 am sure that many leading SAM
tarians are not in sympathy with the
present general methods in use for
the control of smallpox. Sanitarians
quickly demanded the abolition of the
old-time methods of guarding against
yellow fever when science pointed out
the simpler means available for its
control. Why should not similar
course be pursued in dealing with
smallpox?
SIT is strange that with the teach
ings and demonstrations of one hum
dred years relative to the protection
afforded by vaccination against small
po1, individuals and organized bodies
are to be found antagonizing VAGINA
tion and demanding quarantine. tits
almost uncomfortable that intelligent
citizens are to be found who prefer
the leadership of these sfaddists' to
the teachings of scientists. Its hard
ly to be presumed that the southern
states and cities, where yellow fever
protection by quarantine against this
disease, since science has demonstrate
ed both the ineficiency and needless
ness of such-a quarantine that caused
untold annoyance and financial de-
moralization Yet this is exactly
what the anti observation-disclosures are de-
manding in Minnesota, for they are
asking a continuance of the old-time
and Inefficient quarantine against
smallpox and are using every oppor-
tunity to criticise the Minnesota state
board of health for promulgating its
new smallpox regulations.
Undoubtedly, the true way to bring
about the suppression of smallpox is
through compulsory vaccination, and
the responsibility for the passage of
compulsory vaccination laws rests
with the people and their legislators,
not with the medical profession or
sanitarians.