The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-15
AND VACCINATION.

Ever since the Spanish war smallpox
has prevailed TO greater OF less ex-
tent all over the United States. There
we're cases before that time, and even
epidemics, but in this western part of
the filthy disease dates from that time.
Thanks to the advance Of medical
science. the danger of death is not so
great as formerly. but If We would fol-
low the advice of the most skilfull ply
sicisns we could prevent it obtaining
a foothoid. Il is a mere matter of edu-
eating the people up TO the point where
they are able TO see clearly the dangers
TO which they subject themselves and
their children by neglecting precau-
tionary measures. The best authorities
tell US that all school children should
be vaccinated. and figures given prove
the beneficial results
The Philadelphia North American
clinches the argument by comparing
the smallpox records of Pennsylvania
as follows:
From the beginning OF the series of
outbreaks in December. 1898. to the
end Of the year 1904 the number of per
sons attacked in Pennsylvania was 81
727. and the number of deaths 1913.
without claiming that vaccination of
children was the sole factor in the re-
suit. it must have been more than a CO.
incidence that during the year 1906 but
one death from smallpox was reported
in the entire state"
Across the ocean the figures tell the
same tale:
In Europe we have the experiment
fairly and squsrely tried in two great
nations side by side, compulsory vac
cination on one side of the line, non
compulsory vaccination with every pos
sible reasonable objection to the opera
ton removed. on the other. On the
one side a record in one year, 1908, OF
1S9 cases of smallpox, more than one
forth OF them imported. Of which twen-
ty-five were fatal. On the other side
a record of 103,717 cases, with a NOR
tality Of 1880.
ITO make the comparison in a differ
ent manner, the average annual death
rate per million of population during
the five years. is9S-1ss7, inclusive, was
1852 in Russia, and only II in Ger
many"
Education of the people in this i'm
portant matter being the first step, il
would be well for the newspapers and
physicians to unite in spreading the
gospel Of good health. and in this con-
nection the North American says:
Teach these people the wonderful
true romances of the microscope Tell
them in homely words the Christ work
Of Pasteur. and Lister, his great disci-
pie.
Tell them how to watch their doctor
And tell them that if his finger nails
are soiled and his instruments used
without being placed in boiling water
or an antiseptic solution. to dismiss
him as an ignorant dealer of death. not
healing.
Then. and then only. it will be time
to talk tho truths Of history to those
honest haters of vaccination.
Tell them then how, in the seven
teenth century. smallpox had become
the universal scourge of Europe and
America.
Tell them how. in the latter part Of
I the eighteenth and the early part Of the
nineteenth century. it caused about
one-tenth Of all deaths in civilized
! countries. About % per cent Of all the
native inhabitants of Europe were at
F tackled by IT, In other words, only .
per cent of the population escaped the
infection.
Tell them how the fatalities were
made up of little children to the extent
of "a per gent, and how those not left
2 helpless. in blindness or deafness. were
SCARED and mutilsted beyond all rem
edy.
Then tell the story of Jenner and
how this scourge. suddenly. almost
miraculously. began to decline. and this
decline persisted for decade after de-
cade. until the disease lost its terrors
and the great majority of physicians
had never so much as even seen a
case