Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1910-08-17
THE BATTLE WITH SMALLPOX.
Some Figtres and Other information Of In
terest on This Subject.

terest on This Subject.
The victory Of science owe
smallpox through vaccination il
one of the greatest sanitary vic
tories ever won. Jenner, the dis
coverer of this method of preven
ton, is considered by many 'au
thorities the greatest benefactul
of the race that ever lived.
Lord Macaulay, in his History
of England, describing the dis
ease IN England before vaccina-
ton, wrote: "Thas disease, over
which science has achieved q sue.
cession of glorious and bene6cent
victories, was then the most terri
BILE of all ministers OF death. The
smallpox was always present, fill
Ing the churchyards with corpses.
tormenting with constant fear all
whom it had yet not stricken,
leaving on those whose lives it
spared the hldeous traces of it's
power, turning the bAbe into a
changeling at which the mother
shuddered, aid making the eyes
and cheeks CT betrothed maiden
objects of horror to the lover"
In the latter part of the eigh.
teenth century and the early part
of the nineteenth century one
tenth of all deaths III civilized
countries resulted from this dis
ease. Ninety. five per cent Of the
population of Europe had the dis
ease at some period of their lives {.
Every year in Europe 400, 900
deaths were caused by this "pesta
magma. )"
Some countries have taken ad.
vantage of this great discovery;
others have not had the faith in
this truth necessary to save. 1t
may be interesting to observe the
effect of sma. lpox whore vaccina-
tion is compulsory and whore it is
only optional. Between 1870 and
1874, in three years, an epidemic
of this disease in Austria and
Prussia caused the death of 162,.
600 Austrians and $4,000 Prus-
slams. Prussia, proftiug by her
dreadful experience, passed com
pulsory vaccination law; Austria
did not. Result: Prussia, with
a population 5000 900 greater
than Austria, lost. in the next
twenty years $500 people from
this disease, while Austria during
the same time lost $4,000.
Another demonstration Of the
saving power of vaccination is
seen in the French and German
armies IN the great war between
these countries. The French ar
my had not enforced compulsory
vaccinations; the German army
had, and the German soldiers wele
all vaccinated. Result: The
French army lost over $4,000 SOL
diers from smallpox; the German
army, although holding the
French prisoners and living with
them, lost only $50 from the dis
ease.
Still another demonstration OF
the protection afforded by vacci,
nation is seen when We compare
the annual death rates per million
population in countries with COM
pulsory vaccination and those
without compulsory vaccination.
Compulsory vaccination: Germ
any, H.; Denmark, 0.5; Sweden,
2 1; Norway, 06
Noncompulsory waco ination :
Belgium, 80; Russia, 46 3;
Spain. Sc 2; Hungary, 184.4.
In this connection it is we'll to
remember that it is not claimed
that vaccination will always pre-.
vent smallpox. 1t furnishes a
protection equal to that of hav-
ing had the disease; but a few
people will have the disease twice
Other points on the subject are
to the effect that a great many
people would as soon, or rather
have the disease as to be vaccina,
ted, and soma of the most able
physicians of England claim that
if the patient is properly treatec
there is not as much danger in i,
as there is in many of the fevers.