The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-01
IMAGINATION Hello
/ TO Be GOOD THING
Utah Health League Favors Re-
peal of Present Law on
Subject.
EXHAUSTIVE PAPER BY
DIR. RALPH I. RICHARDS
Others Declare Against Act Pro
hibiting Compulsory
Vaccination.

i Vaccination was the subject discussed
I+o the extent of three hours more or
lI,ess. Tuesday evening at meeting of
lItbe Utah State Health league. The
injecting agreed that vaccination is a
good thing and ought to be pushed
lalong The statement was made that
There is much opposition to vaccination
lin Utah, and that this state is per
I.haps the only one in the Union that
lhas law prohibiting compulsory vac
lcinaton. At the conclusion of the meet
ling resolution was adopted pledging
l the society to use its best efforts to
stimulate interest with a view to bring
ing about the repeal OF the obnoxious
law.
The principal feature Of the evening
was an exhaustive paper by DR.. Ralph
T. Richards. Judge King defined the
legal phases of compulsory vaccination,
declaring that courts would undoubtedly
sustain the constitutionality of law
Iproviding compulsory vaccination as
y coming within the state s right to ex
lercse police power. A lengthy discus
sion followed the reading of Dr. Rich
lards' paper. in which a number of
Those present took part. II was de
lcided, by resolution, TO have copies of
lthe paper sent to the various news
Ipapers of the state with a request for
Publication. The committee on pub
licity was also instructed to have the
address published in pamphlet form.
Logan Comes In.
/ At a meeting of the executive board
preceding the main meeting it was de-
eided to admit as an auxiliary body the
Health League of Logan This league
lls SAID 10 have membership of 200
already. and great things are expected
of 1t. The league will make strong eff
forts 10 secure pure water supply and
Ia better sewage system. besides doing
llnany things for the betterment Of SAN
Iitary conditions generally.
Judge King was the first speaker
He said that the opposition to vac
scination always sets up the cry of in
Infringement of personal liberty, but that
Ihe believed when the question should
lbc fairly and squarciv presented TO the
Courts they would uphold the constitu.
ltionality of any law providing for com
lpnlsory vaccinations. This would be
done under the state IS undoubted right
Iof the exercise of police power In
imodern times. said the speaker, The
Exercise of Police power is being ex.
iteDded more and more No one ques-
tions the right of the state TO quaran-
time sheep and cattle and to prevent
tho spread of disease among them; nor
70 the right Of the inspection of daiTies,
the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes
land opium. All these things are done
under the exercise of the police powers
lof a state.
I One OF the functions Of the state,
Isaid Judge King, is to conserve and
preserve the health of it's people The
state now reaches out its hands TO pro-
tect the morals of ITS people, why, then,
Should 1t not also protect the health
of Its people! lnasmuch as there is
nothing prohibitory In Inc constitution
against the passage of law for COM
7pulsory vaccination, the state. there.
iforc, would have the, right to do that
\ which would conserve the health of its
Ifpecple, and, inasmuch as it has been
demonstrated that vaccination does pre-.
went smallpox, or at least minimizes the
danger of the disease to the lowest, the
ispeaker saw no good reason why the
state could not pass law for compul-
sorry vaccination.
\ DR.. Richards Talks
+ Dr. Richards went into the subject
IN detail. He referred briefly TO the
history of VACCINATION, saying that be
=, cause of hygiene and better sanitary
conditions the death rate has steadily
peen diminishing IN the last fifty years
vaccination, he said first was intro
duced In the United States in 1900. 1t
was introduced in the southern states
oy President Thomas Jefferson
Dr. Richards then described the
nj nh
IRON human who has been inoculated
lsald DR.. Richards, is no longer used
put the virus from healthy bovine
}Nls now employed Recently the gov.
ernment vaccinated 100000 people in
Hrorto klco. and not n single case de.
Sveioped seriously. Incidentally. small
10y was practically, if not entirely,
lstamped out in the island.
II preceding 1900. said DR. Richards, 4
70 per cent of. all deaths were due
Sto smallpox In the seventeenth cen.
zltnry 5;5OO,000 people died in Mexico
hroIn the disease in a single epidemic.
,r rormerly onethird the deaths in the
r dehlIa population was due TO smallpox
b tsatsow now there are no deaths among chill.
rs1gsen who have been vaccinated DR..
9hlehards said the death rate is three
! 'lehu quarter times greater among
tnose VINO are not vacciuated than
Y 9mong those who arc In the one hun
Hred deaths from smallpox in Utah in
'YIne iast ten years, said DR.. Richards
n MOT one had been vaccinated,
Dr Richards denied that vaccination
gnnses increased liability to other dis
Eases. In vaccination Dr. Richards
Leeommended that tho child be oper.
19eu upon within three months after
3plrth, then before tho school age, anG
SQnce every ten years thereafter, II
kne vaccination does not take IT should
pc repeated three times, and if il does