Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-16
Some Things You Want to Know
The Spread of Vaccination

Tho use Of vaccination in tie prevention
~ typhoid fever serves again to remind the
world OF the great debt II owes to Edward
Jenncr, who learned the great secret from
a milkmaid, 1l0 years ago. lie first proved
the correctness Of his theory by inoculat-
ing little James Phipps. the first human
being who was ever vaccinated, and then
exposing him to patients in a smallpox
hospital. The discoverer took other means
70 thoroughly test the treatment before he
recommended II 10 the world.
While there are those who still doubt the
efficacy OF vaccination, it's value is really
as well attested az anything can be proven
short Of a multiplication table. The ex-
perience Of the Philadelphia Municipal
hospital, but one instance OF thousands,
might be cited. Although 1900 cases were
treated there during a term Of years, not
a single physician, nurse or attendant who
had been properly vaccinated contracted
the disease. OF $500 cases treated during
one outbreak, not a single case was Of a
person who had been vacciuated within
the recognized term Of years. During the
progress Of the epidemic it became neces-
sary TO have additional quarters, and a
large force Of carpenters were employed.
Only two Of the workmen had not been
vaccinated within a proper length Of time,
and only these two contracted the disease.
Vaccination for typhoid fever, though
based on something Of a different prin-
ciple, is somewhat like that of smallpox.
In smallpox the live germs Of cowpox, re-
garded as the animal form OF the human
disease, are used. In vaccinating against
typhoid' the dead germs Of typhoid Itself
are used. The germs are gathered and
then cultivated a.. 81
multiply by the millions they are suddenly
stricken dead. The subject to be vac
cinated then has 500, 600, 900 Of these dead
germs put into hts blood. II your house
were infected by dead bodies. YOU can
imagine that It would not be very habit
able. SO IL is with the typhoid germs. The
dead bodies of their fellows lying around
IN such profusion make the human system
unattraotlve for them.
Ten days are allowed to lapse after tha
first dose of 500. 10000 microbe corpses
and then a second dose Of 1000. O 1000 IS
applied. After that there is practically no
chance for the live microbes to SURVIVE
because OF the toxic condition of the blood
that develops. But in order to make as
surance absolutely certain, some practi-
toners recommend the third vaccination.
After this the typhoid germ is certainly
rendered harmless.
Peace hath her victories, and even armies
may help win them. The great value of
vaccination In typhoid fever has been
proved more through army medical prac-
tice than elsewhere. Germany gives some
notaDle statistics i'm the treatment of her
south African troops. There it was found
that of vaccinated troops only fifty per
l,VW took typhoid, while ninety-eight per
1,VW Of the u~nvaccinated ones contracted
1t. or deaths there were only 1923 per 1000
among the vaccinated soldiers, against Il. co
among the unyacclnated ones. The same
proportions obtain in the British colonial
possessions, and also in the United States
army experiments now being made.
Philadelphia is just now offering to the
world some rare statistics on the subject
of typhoid fever. While they do not relate
directly to vaccination, they do throw
much light on the subject which will be
helpful in the study of vaccination for
FEVER. For instance, they will afford a
study OF the recurrence OF typhoid in in
dividuals, which is one of the points of
interest in the possibilities of immunity
from typhoid. In this report over 5000
cases were tabulated, covering the health
office records OF the city for eleven and a
half years. It shows the remarkable and
surprising fact that typhoid is not, after
all, a summer disease. 1t reached it's high.
est point in the month Of February, dur
Ing which month there were 9,113 cases.
Its lowest stage was in July, when there
were 1888 cases, March had the second
highest record, and January, April and
May also show upward of 5000 cases. Sep
TENDER is the highest month Of the heated
term, with 5,055 cases. The fatalities
amounted to a little less than one patient
out of nine.
The various states of the union are do