The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-27
ANDERSON REPLIES
TO DIR. TOWNSEND
secretary Of Conn. Anti Compulsory vaccina-
ton League Discusses Defense Of Vac
cination Made by Secretary OF
State Board Of Health

those islands from smallpox where
formerly there were thousands. ct,
he could also have told us that our
own soldiers in the Philippines. In
spite of frequent vaccinations, suffer-
ed severely from smallpox and that
the death rate among them was so
great that the like has never been
eQualled in any army or navy, at
home or abroad, in either ancient Or
modern times. that is, If he had car
ed to read the reports OF the surgeon
General of the Army.
If, as DR.. Townsend says, there are
now only q few deaths from smallpox
where before the American Occupa-
ton there were thousands, 1t Is very
evident that vaccination cannot be
credited with having brought about
the change, for it failed miserably in
the army, and the simple fact is that
smallpox declined as soon as the Am
erican occupation had existed long
enough to allow modern. American if
you please, sanitary improvements to
become effective.
Simple, isn't it w, hen you stop to
think about it? No mystery at all,
and easily understood by anyone with
ordinary intelligence. It is different
with vaccination and with most doc
tors.
DR.. Townsend says that the charge
that vaccination ever causes syphilis,
tuberculosis or other diseases is with
out foundation, with the exception
that vaccination is open to the same
avenues of infection as there may be
in the simplest operation or injury
that produces an abrasion of the
skin. This is putting it little diff
ferently from the way his late lament
ed predecessor in office, DR.. Lindsey,
did, when he said: cit is as safe TO
get vaccinated as it is to get shaved
| at a barber shop" and he added that
- \
perience he had never seen any evil
resulting from vaccination. These
statements mean practically the same
thing and show that there has been
| no change in sentiment, nor improve
ment of knowledge, regarding the
| subject of vaccination by change in
| the office of secretary to the State
| Board of Health.
This is deplorable, for it had been
hoped that the present incumbent
would be more apt to avail himself
| of the official informa ton so easily
obtained, and which so thoroughly
| disprove such statements as the Sec
rotary INDUCES in.
| I would recommend that he read
not only what the celebrated DR.. Os-
Ter has to say regarding tetanus as
resulting from vaccination and certain
statistics of tetanus contaminated vi
rus, but also the results of investiga-
| lions by DR.. M. J. Rosenan, of the
Marine Hospital service, Washington,
| contained in bulletin No. IL, 1903, en-
titled meteorological Impurities In
Vaccine Virus"
Then again, by subscribing for the
| Transactions" of various medical So
Icieties he will learn that the possibi1-
| 1ty of transmitting diseases by vaccin-
| alton has received unusual attention
| due entirely to the fact that general
practitioners frequently find cases in
| DrnnffCn m IF N q
| fatally, and it is certain that if NO
harm came from vaccination there
| would be no discussions concerning ii
| among medical men. Besides, the
press of the country records yearly an
| appalling number of deaths resulting
from vaccination, about 100 deaths
occurring from tetanus alone in 1910
| among children of school age.
So certain is it that just at the be-
| ginning of the school terms q number
| of children will be sacrificed, in local
| tiles where vaccination is required
| that one can safely predict it, and a
years clippings from a press clipping
| bureau will prove the correctness of
this statement. Has vaccination any
| thing to do with it?
DIR. Townsend intimates that "the
| fatalities from vaccination are exceed
| ed by fatalities resulting from the
| amputation of a corn from the foot
and says that ''still no one hesitates
| to relieve himself of an aching corn
While it is a fact that blood poison
| and death occasionally have resulted
| from the removal of a corn, yet, such
I instances are rare as compared with
! the fearful number of cases of teta-
nus, alone, which occur yearly as the
result of vaccination, and challenge
! DR.. Townsend to gather accurate sta
| tistics to prove his statement, and
! publish them. Besides. his compar-
| ison is absurd, because, while there
may be reason for removing an ach-
! ing corn, no one ever suffers from an
ache that calls for vaccination to re-
l lieve the pain Vaccination is Just
] the opposite to common sense proce-