El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-05
WAGIHG WAR
AGAIN ST
DISEASE
Elimination Of Epidemics
Made Possible by scien-
tific Discoveries.
FIGHTING HOOKWORM
DISEASE IN SOUTH

w 1t IS in preventing epidemics
that the efforts Of the sani-
tartan to promote the public health
has had its most spectacular evidence.
In generations gone by epidemics Of
bubonic plague, yellow fever, and a
dozen other diseases have descended
upon cities and nations and have de-
stroyed hundreds Of thousands of lives
in a comparatively short period. This
condition of affairs stiu continues in
those countries where the laws Of
sanitation are not generally accepted
by the people and where the com
mun1ty- is ever open to attack Rus
sla last year lost more people from
ing there than 1T lost in killed and
wounded during its war with Japan.
Eliminating Smallpox Terror.
me earliest successful solution Of
that OF eliminating smallpox as one
Of the terrOrs Of humanity. 1t has
been estimated that during the cen
fury before the discovery and use OF
60,O00,000 deaths from smallpox. Per
haps One-half Of the people OF the
world in those days eWere pOcked-
marked from this disease Today one
seldom sees person who has had It
The American occupation of the Phil
ippine islands affords a most remark
able evidence of the value OF VacCina-
ton as preventive measure against
smallpox During the year 1897 there
were 10000 deaths from smallpox In
the. Philippines. During the year 1907,
just a decade later, there were only
soc deaths. During the years 1907 and
190S nearly 100000 persons In the
Philippines were Vaccinated and not
single death occurred from the pro-
cess.
A like condition Of affairs developed
in Havana after the American OCCupa-
ton. During the eight years preced-
ing there were 3112 cases OF smallpox
in the city Of Havana, and during the
eight years following the American
occupation there were only five cases.
Some declare that the decline in the
prevalence of smallpox is to be ex-
planned by the Improvement Of sani-
tary conditions. 1t is probable that
this has helped much, especially in the
cities, but with the great masses OF
the people in the Philippines and Cuba
sanitation could not have advanced so
far as practically TO eliminate the dis
ease OF itself Such presumption
would place sanitary conditions IN
those countries ahead Of some Of the
leading cities Of the world A strik-
ing example Of the effectiveness OF
vaccination in the control OF smallpox
is afforded by the experience Of the
United States transport 'LisCum-' A
child in the Storage, who had never
been vaccinated, took smallpox ana
died. There were three other persons
on the ship among the entire paSSen-
ger list and crew who had not been
vaccinated- An three Of them took the
disease. Not one of those who had
been vaccinated took it.
The Best Taccinated City
Gloucester, England, is said to be
the best vacCinated city in the world
The people of that city did not be
ueve in compulsory vaccination, and
In 1885 an epidemic OF smallpox broke
out nearly 1000 cases of the disease
occurring. In the following four
months $4,000 people were Vaccinated,
and Gloucester soon thereafter saw
the epidemic pass. The experience OF
Philadelphia a few years ago also az
fOrds an Illuminating picture OF the
efficacy Of vaccination In the pre-
VeutiOn OF smallpox. During period
Of four years there was an epidemic
with a total Of $500 cases Not sim
gle one Of these cases occurred where
a person had been successfully vaCci-
mated within five years. Hundreds Of
doctors and nurses and medical stu
dents visited the pest hospital and
attended the victims and not one Of
them contracted the disease.
Vaccination IN the Army.
Another instance of the success Of
vaccination for smallpox was afforded
by the experience OF the French and
German armies during the Franco
Prussian war. The French did not
believe in vaccination, and over 5000
deaths from smallpox occurred. The
Germans did believe in 1t and only 278
German soldiers died of It. That this
was net due to better sanitary cOndi-
lions in the German army is revealed
by the fact that the number of deaths
from typhoid and other camp fevers
was as large, or larger, in the Ger
man army than in the French army
1t was also observed that although
French prisoners in the German hospi-
tails took smallpox, the German pa
tents in the same wards did not.
One Of, the most interesting condi-
lions that has arisen anywhere in ref
'erence TO the maintenance Of compul-
sorry vaccination laws is that obtain
Ing In the state Of Minnesota A cam
paign against compulsory vaccination
was Waged there and the result was
the repeal of the compulsory VAGINA
ton law. Investigation since that
time shows that the repeal of the law
has had an effect dramatically oppO-
site to that anticipated. With com
pulsiOn removed there are more peo-
pie vaccinated in Minnesota today than
ever before.
Conquering Typhoid.
II is the prediction of sanitarfans
that the day viii come when typhoid
fever viii be reIegated to the list Of
rare diseases in this country. Massa-
chusetts has only a third as many
deaths from typhoid fever today as If
had so years ago. Sanitarians pro
nOunce fOur-fifths OF the typhoid fever
occurring in the United States today
preVentable. That their figures are
conservative is shown by the fact that
they have cut off half Of the deaths
from the disease in 80 years 1t is
shown by the further fact that the
United States today in proportion to
population, has six times as much ty-
phoid as NorWay,afive times as much
as Germany, four times as much as
England and Wales, and twice as much
as Belgium or Austria There is twice
as much typhoid in New York as in
London, twice as much in Chicago as
in Paris, three times as much in St
Paul as in Vienna, and four times as
much in st. Louis as in Berlin.
These figures are all the more sig
nificant when it is remembered that
the death rate from typhoid IN these
American cities has been lowered to a
remarkable degree in recent years It
is estimated that the vital loss sus-
tanned In the United States from the
prevalence of typhoid epidemics would
be enough to build a canal like the
one at Panama In Pittsburg it is es-
ffr47ofaT that each million cra1T0-e %