The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-10
CALLS VACCINATION A FAD.
Mailbag Writer Cites Lecture of
Prof. William A. White.
Editor The Washington Herald:

Editor The Washington Herald:
In an address at the opening OF How
ard University Medical College last Mon
day night DR.. William A. White. pro-
fessor Of the medical college. arranged
the characterization movement. which he
denorninated a fad. He said. among
other things:
The immunity Of the race from this
epidemic disease smallpox that has fol-
lowed Jenner's great discovery has been
due. almost entirely, to vaccination.
And again:
I'VE have but 10 read the pages Of
history to appreciate the tremendous
danger that may threaten from such
propaganda as that of the anti-vac-
clnist"
We would like TO know where the
learned professor gets his authority for
such statements. History, if Il teaches
anything, teaches that vaccination has
been po0Terless to prevent smallpox cpl
denies. We have but TO refer TO the
serious smallpox epidemics that ravaged
so thoroughly vaccinated Europe about
1870 Take the three most completely
yaccinated European countries at that
time-Sweden, England. and Prussia
History teaches that they suffered as
severely from smallpox, If not more
so. than did their less thoroughly vac
cinated neighbors.
Sweden had compulsory vaccination
from 1887. That. however, did not pre-
vent such country after decades of en-
forced vaccination. from suffering from
one Of the severest smallpox epidenics
IN all her history in lS74-75. Stockholm.
the capital. returned a mortality from
the disease f. IA of 1916 per 1000 900
reaching 1880 for the two years of the
epidemic Compare such figures with
that for unvaccinated London 100 years
before: the highest recorded mortality
for smallpox before vaccination In l772
did not quite reach $500 per 100000.
England had compulsory vaccination
from 1853. Yet in the great smallpox cpl
demic # ls1-72 the official records give
twenty-Iour towns as having a mortality
in excess Of that for unvaCcinated and
thoroughly insanitary London for any
year previous to Jenner's discovery.
Prussia had compulsory vaccination
laws from 1880. Such laws were so
thoroughly enforced that no man or wo-
man could marry until they were able
to produce q certificate OF successful
vaccination. Though thoroughly pro-
tected. from the viewpoint OF prO-vaccin-
lists. Prussia experienced in lSu-72 an
outbreak OF epidemic smallpox that taxed
all the resources of the kingdom The
official figures record a mortality from
the disease throughout the kingdom dur
ing these years OF l24.94S In Berlin.
during such period. official figures record
@,391 cases of smallpox, 1888 among the
vaccinated; Of these 1854 died
We, of the anti-vaccinists invite a
careful reading of the pages of history.
We are confident that an impartial in
vestigation of the facts there presented
will make an anti-vaccinist of anv one
capable OF Independent thought We re-
fer 10 the case Of Charles Creighton NJ
D., who wrote the article on vaccination
IN the ninth edition OF the Encyclo-
pedia Britannica. AS a result OF the in
vestigation into the subject he became
a most pronounced anti-vacclnIst and has
repeatedly characterized Jenner's nos
trum as a ''grotesque delusion,'
FRANCIS D. SCOTT.
9so North Capitol street.