The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-02-21
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


t@To the Editor Of the Farmer, Sir:
In a recent issue of a newspaper I
noticed that the Hartford Medical So
edety had passed q set of resolutions
favoring the continuance of compul-
sorry vaccination in the public schools
OF that city.
In these resoIutio at least Ia of
the good citizens of Hartford are re-
ferred to as being Ignorant" suffer
/ ing from an tinpairment of tudg-
ment,'' from ''prejudice,' from "fa-
naticism." and from a desire for mo
l&oriety'' and private gadn," to say
nothing of the false and misleading
statements regarding vaccination it
self and the unwaTranted claims
made for it. I take it for granted
that all intelligent men and women in
that city Will not fail to show their
just resentment towards a set of men
who so fearfulfy slur them and that
they wiIIsAT1ake it plain to the mem
bers of the Hartford Medical Society
that they are entirely too intelligent
to take any stock in such state
ment as that: sit is an absolute fact
that vaccination always has, always
can and always will prevent or lessen
the severity of smIIpox and, when
properly done, is devoid of danger"
Surely, from what is known about
vaccination to-day, any man making
such statement must be either a
1901 OF a knaN0. 1t CdII4oI bC Ia IL
the mem bers of the Hartford Medical
Society are ignorant of the findings
of the British Royal Commission on
Vaccination which, after seven years
of the most thorough Investigation,
unanimously urged Parliament to
abolish compu1ston, resulting in the
enacting of the conscience clause in
the vaccination acts. Perhaps, il
the names of the men who composed
this commission were given, the mem
bers of your Medical Society would be
willing to admit that their ignorant
neighbors were travelling in pretty in
telligent company And while l am
recalling the many ignorant men
who have Investigated the subject of
vaccination with the result that the
practice has been condemned by them
in the severest Of terms, am remind
ed of DR.. William Collins, physician
to the late King Edward, Or. w.
Hadwen, DR.. Chas. Creighton, DR.. E.
W. Croolkshank, author of History
and Pathology of Vaccination Prof.
Chas Ruata, MD, Prof. of Hygiene
in the University of Perugia, Ita1yi
DR.. Scott Tebb, Hon VIM E. Glad
stone, Herbert Spencer, Prof. Alfred
Russell wallace, and many others,
too numerous to mention.
Of course, none Of these men or
their works, I take it, is known to
the brilliant members of the Hart
ford edfca1 Society, but, will assure
them, a closer acquaintance would
hurt them none and may do them
some good.
The line of argument induIged in,
in the resolution in question, is in
st1ltfng to the intelligence of those
who have taken the trouble to inform
themselves regarding vaccination, and
especially to the many who have suf-
fered as a result of this infamous
OH Ia dealing -
tice. An apology is due them from
at least those members who graced
the resolution with their signatures;
but should they refuse to do this
they ought to be made to furnish in
disputab1e proofs that vaccination is
and does all they claim for it. In
case they should choose the latter
would suggest that they tell their zig
norant'' neigh bors how 1T was that in
German in 1871 and 1872, after thir-
ty-fve years of the most thorough
compulsory vaccination, Prussia lost
no less than 124,948 of her well vac
einated citizens. from smallpox In
the city of Berlin alone, 1908 vac
cinated persons were attacked with
smallpox, during this epidemic, and
2,8S4 of them died
They should also explain how it was
that in our Army in the Philippines.
none better or oftener vaccinated,
there were TIA cases of smallpox with
249 deaths, a fatality rate of 35z per
cent. in the years 1898 to 1901 incfu-
sive. Then, again, the evidence of the
absolute protection afforded by vac
cfnation in Japan may well be worthy
of their consideration
In that country vaccination has
been rigidIy enforced since 1872 and
by the law of 1885 re-vaccination was
made compulsory Yet, during the
seven years, 1S86-1892, Japan lost no
less than 49, 79 persons from small
pox, while 156,175. cases of the dis
ease were reported. In the years 1903
to 1908 no less than 42,522,933 vac
cinations were performed, yet, in. the