The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-29
THE REVIVAL OF THE anti
JlCCINtTION MOVEMENT.

To Tuk EDTroR 90 TVS SuN-SP: Early
in tho present month word from London
told of tho strong anti-vaccination fcS,ing.
which was growing Co an alarming cKtent.
The lstcB, statistics give the incre lse In tn,
percentage of conscientious objections
To vaccination as from SO per cent In
IoOS TO ~ per cont. in 1919. This shows
Il course only a small proportion OF the
unvaccinated children. aa IL rclCrs only
to those who have not bonn vaccinatsd by
roIson OF obje,tions attributed to con-
science.
The announce ment IL now made from
Washington that a body IL to be organizec
known as the Washington Anti-Vaccina-
tion Society with Harry p. Bradford.
rosident naturalist % tho British MUSEUM.
AZ president. Il will make an effort Co
repoll tho law requiring all school children
in tho District of Columbia 20 be vacci-
mated and will start a general agitation
against vaccination.
What Are the thoughtful people OF coun-
tries supposed 20 bs the most advanced
in modern civilization coming 20 when
such movements as these arc not only
permitted hut encouraged?
rush into such an agitation give a little
serious thought To this matter. Let
them read the statistics Of the German
army a. regards the stamping out Of small
pox by means Of vaccination. Let them
read 81 the scourgs 10 formerly was
before Jenner's discovery and OF tho ter
rors 20 tho black death sweeping un-
checked over towns. cities and villages.
-
and fngitives carrying the disease further.
The horrors % smallpox are little known
20 our present genera ton because through
vaccination IL has been 40 largely pre-
vented that the modern man and woman
look upon Il as a vague PARKWAY danger.
They fear vaccination perhaps because
they fear the incubation ~ some infec-
tious disease thereby. but 10 they took
tho trouble To inform themselves from
reliable sources they would realize that
since il has become the practice 10 use
vaccine from the calf instead of from
the human beinG that danger has practi-
cally disappeared.
Or Osler s1yS in his Practice OF M~di-
cine" referring to smallpox and vac
cination.
Communities IN Whieh vaccination and ~.
vaccination thoroughly ard systerna ticAily
carried out those IN which smallpox has
'evssi victims On the other hand comHu-
nilies IN which NAcrinA ton and revacctnAiicn
are persistenuy neglecte1 are tho-s In which cpl
derics are most prevalent In the German
army The prartice ~ revaocinauon has s:ampsd
out the dtseass
He tells ~ an spidenic in Montreal in
issS, resulting from tho opposition of the
French Canadians TO vaccination IN the
period from is7e mp to that time Then
single case was introduced ny mans Of
q Pullman car conductor from Chica 70.
This resulted in the death from smallpox
of S.Isl persons in that city alone.
Dr. Victor q. Heiser. Director q Health
~ the Philippine islands, in the rsport II
tho burelu ~ health. 1907. says:
In the provinces % CAvite. BatAngas Cebu
RstaAn. Ia mon. RiEai ard ia LAguna. ~ here
heretofore there have been more than ouo deaths
annually from smGllpoA. II n satisfactory % ~
port since the completion OF vaccination IN the
Aforesaid provinces more than . year ago not
single death from smallpox hss been reported.
These ara known facts. and vet anti
vaccination leagues and associations ara
springinR up on evsry side. Even In the
land 10 Jennsrs birth the almost aupsr-
stitious fear ~ vaccinatio still holds AZ
" oiu @p y~AFe ago Wneu ureAt nrttain
was tho slowest Of all the countries 20 adopt
tho new preventive. Now tho United
States sesms 90 he following its lead. Il
In only by constant warnings. tho unitsd
efforts of people who know and foresss
the great danger ahcad and by the strsn-
nous. faithful work % the medical profess
sion that this country can b. saved from
a very grave danger in the future.
When those children who are now he
ing allowed To 90 urvaccinated are grown
ma cass Of malignant smallpox may de-
velop an epidemic which 10 will then be
too lat" to guard against or check The
drelded. dishguring and fatal plague will
run riot as u did a hundred years ago.
Such an experience will be a pretty costly
way % impressing upon tho public mind
the utility ~ provocative medicine. A.
Nnam AArsl