The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-07-17
WOULD MAKE COMPULSORY
VACCINATION POSSIBLE
Unreasonable Prejudice Against
Process, Says DR.. Tetreau-
Situation at Toppenish Not
Serious

1t is probable that quarantine
against small pox will not be re.
CURED by rule of the state board OF
health in the future, says DR.. Thos
Tetreau, city and county health of.
ficer. According to DR.. Tetreau, re.
quests to the state board to consider
the abolition of the quarantine rule
for small pox have been made. and
the matter is likely to be acted upon
Instead of quarantine, Dr. Tetreau
thinks a more rigid system of vacci.
nation, by which in time of necessity
a general vaccination could be order.
ed and enforced, will be substituted
Under the present laws this is al
most impossible, on account of the
fact that there is no means of en-
forcing vaccination although public
safety would seem to demand that q
general vaccination be made as q pre-
cautionary measure.
Vaccination Accepted Elsewhere
Vaccination in the European
countries is accepted as a matter OF
course" says DR.. Tetreau. Everyone
is vaccinated, and none thinks of ma
king protest against it. Every for
vaccinated before being allowed tc
land, and as rule each one already
has several vaccination scars They
have no objection to the process, and
recognize the value of the immunity
it gives them.
Threatened to Shoot Doctor
81 remember the case of a family
living at one of the camps on the
Tieton during the construction OF
that project. This was not a small
pox case, but it illustrates the point
just as we'll A member of the fam
lily developed a case of diphtheria
The doctor who had charge Of the
medical work for all of the camps
gave the ailing member dose OF
anti toxin. Then the doctor s,in
charge sent word for the remainder
of the family to be ready to take the
treatment. They didn't send word di-
rectly, but indirectly word came tc
the doctor that if he came up there
and attempted to give the anti-toxin
to the rest of the family they would
shoot him. H'is]i Boy
THE doctor notified me as county
health officer and l went up.
found the old man cleaning up a rifle
He wanted to know if I was going to
try to make them take the anti-toxir
treatment. / told him I was not, but
that they would all have to be guar.
antined. If they wanted to go tt
work, they could take the anti-toxir
and go, but otherwise they must al
stay in quarantine.
Wouldn't Admit Fault
II came away, and the next day
| they sent to the city for another doc
tor to come and give the anti-toxir
treatment.
The same condition exists now with
regard to the vaccination treatment
for small pox. People have an un.
founded predjudice against 1t. AS q
| matter of fact it is a simple opera
ton and is proved to be efficient In
preventing the spread of the disease
'"The problem is, to be able te
vaccinate when it is needed If ar
epidemic starts, and the school chill
dren cannot be vaccinated, there is
one of the most active points of con.
tagion. In some of the eastern states
there is now no attempt to enforce
quarantine for small pox. Children
who have not been vaccinated can.
not go to school, and children under
certain ages must go to school under
the compulsory education law. so they
are caught either way
Not Serious at Toppenish
DIR. Tetreau denied emphatically
the report circulated in this city thai
Topenish has an epidemic of small
pox, and that there are at present sc
cases in that town.
"There are four places in quaran
tine now" he said, land at all oil
these places more than one person
is affected, but there are not SO cases
there, nor is there an epidemic"