Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16

lt&S~D wi prevention of typnolu leNeI
IbY HS serves again to remind the
II world of the great debt 1t
ia & owes to William Jenner, VINO
tasesa learned the great secret from
a milkmaid 110 years ago. lie
first proved the correctness of ms
theory by inoculating little James
Phipps, the first human being who was
ever vacCinated, and then exposing MN
to patients in smallpox hospital Ihe
discoverer took other means to thor
oughly test the treatment before he
recommended it to the world
While there are those VINO sun
doubt the efficacy of vaccination, its
value is really as well attested as any
thing can be proved short of multi
plication table. The experience OF the
Philadelphia municipal hospital, but
one instance of thousands, might be
cited. Although 5000 cases were treated
there during a term of years, not
single physician, nurse or attendant
who had been properly vaceinated con
tracted the disease. OF $500 cases
treated during one outbreak, not
single case was of a person who had
been Vaccinated within the recog-
nized terms of years. During the
progress of the epidemic it became
necessary to have additional quarters,
and a large force of carpenters was
employed. Only two of the Worlmen
had not been vaccinated within
proper length of time, and only these
two contracted the disease.
Vaccination for typhoid fever, though
based on something of different prin-
ciple, is somewhat like that for small
pox. In smallpox the live germs OF
cowpox, regarded as the animal form
of the human disease, are used. In
vaccinating against typhoid the dead
germs of typhoid itself are used. Inc
germs are gathered and then cult
waited in bouillon. When they multiply
by the millions they are suddenly
stricken dead. The subject to be vac
cinated then has a half billion of these
dead germs put into his blood. If your
house were infested by dead bodies you
~can imagine that it would not be very
habitable. So it is with the typhoid
germs. The dead bodies of their tel-
lows lying around in such protuslon
make the human system unattractlVe
for them.
Ten days are allowed to lapse after
the first dose of half billion microbe
corpses, and then a second dose OF a
billion is applied. After that there is
practically no chance for the i've
microbes to survive because of the
toxic condition of the blood that devel-
ops. But in order to make assurance
absolutely certain, some practitioners
recommend the third vaccination.
After this the typhoid germ is certain
ly 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 practice than elsewhere. Ger
many gives some notable statistics in
the treatment Of her South African
troops. There it was found that of
vaccinated troops only fifty per thou
sand took typhoid, while ninety-eight
per thousand of the unvaccinated ones
contracted 1t. OF deaths there were
only 1923 per thousand among the vac
cinated soldiers, against 1850 among
the unvaccinated ones. The same pro-
portions 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 sub
1ect which will be helpful in the study
of the recurrence of typhoid in indl-
Viduals, which is one OF the polntS OF
interest in the possibilities of I'M
munity from typhoid. In. this report
over 6S 900 cases were tabulated, cover
ing the health office records of the city
for eleven and half years. 1t shows
the remarkable and surprising fact
that typhoid is not, after all, summer
disease. 1t reached it's highest point
In the month of February, during
which month there were 9113 cases. Its
lowest stage was in July, when there
were 2993 cases. March had the sec
ond highest record, and January, April
and May also show upward of 5000
cases. September is the highest month
of the heated term, with 5055 cases.
The fatalities amounted to little less
than one patient out of nine.
The various states of the Union are
doing all they can to foster senti-
ment in favor of vaccination against
smallpox, but no state has put its case
in more striking form than Illinois.
Through it's board of health it has is
sued a pamphlet entitled "This Man
Was Not Vaccinated." On the front
page is his picture in health, and he is
a fine looking specimen of robust man.
hood. Beneath his picture is the added