The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-11-28

COuutIAcS "uSIS eue uat1OLa4 1aW6
control vaccination. Germany made
herself secure against the ever
and malicious fiend Of |
smallpox by the adoption Of the i'm
perial vaccination law in 1875. It
may be briefly stated as follows.
Every child shall be vaccinated
within the calendar year following
that of it's birth.
Every pupil in public school shall
be re=vaccinated when IL years Of
age, and if he has not yet had small
pox in the previous five years. If
the revaccination is not successful
it is to be performed again within a
year. Physicians are appointed by
the government who do the vaccina-
ton.
In the meantime the German peo-
pie have had no cause to complain
of the effects of this law. During
the past 20 years smallpox has be-
come almost extinct on German soil.
History of Vaccination.
Under the name Of cowpox certain
diseases characterized by vascular or
hlcerating sores on the udders of
cows have long been known in Eng
England. It had also been observed
by dairy workers that persons who
had cracks in the skin and became
innoculated from these sores obtain
ed a relative immunity from small
pox. 1t fell to the lot of Edward
Jenner, an English physician, to in
vestigate, experiment with and give
to mankind vaccination. This work
has enrolled Jenner among the medi-
cal immortals and his name should
be known by all as one of the great
est benefactors that mankind ever
had.
On May ID, 1896 Jenner took mat
ter" from the hands of dairymaid,
Sarah Nelmes, who had cowpox, and
innoculated a boy named James
Phipps, aged 8. In July of the same
year matter taken from smallpox
pustule was inserted into the boy and
no disease followed. In 1893 Jenner
published his first articles on vac
cination and he established several
points concerning vaccination which
hold good and are generally accept
ed today. That vaccination gives
protection he clearly demonstrated.
Jenner's greatest error was his be-
lief in lifelong immunity. The con-
sequences of that error have not vet
been overcome by the medical pro-
fession.
The Vaccine Virus.
Until late in the nineteenth GEN.
fury vaccine virus was derived chief
~ from human vesicles. Arm-to-
arm vaccination was practiced on
our fathers and gave good results.
But constant supply was not avail
able and after the advent of asepsis
the procedure was branded as sur
gically unclean.
At the present day bacteria in the
lymph are positively controlled and
the procedure as today practiced is
relatively free from danger of infec
ton.
The lymph is secured from young
heifers, which are inspected and pro-
nounced sound and free of bovine dis
eases. The calves are cleaned as
thoroughly as possible before being
taken to the operating room. Here
the abdomen is shaved and washed
with soap and warm sterile water and
the skin is dried with sterile towels.
The operators observe the same asep-
tic precautions as in operating upon
humans. The abdomen is selected be-
cause of the thinness of the skin.
A series of superficial missions about
an inch apart are made on the pre-
pared areas. The seed" vaccine is
spread on the prepared surface and
allowed to dry. After about six days
the animal is again taken to the oper-
ating room, the area again cleaned
and the "pulp" is gathered by scrap
ing the area. This pulp is ground
thoroughly, mixed with glycerine,
filtered and allowed to ripen. Glyc-
crime is used because it furnishes a
very poor medium for germs to
grow in and has the power of STOP
ping the growth of many varieties.
The terminated lymph is then thor
oughly tested bacteriologically to
insure clean" product.
The operation. of vaccination as
done by the surgeon of today is we'll
known by all. Widespread prejudice
against vaccination has been mani
tested at times throughout the coun-
try, and wherever this prejudice has
been so strong that it resulted in a
large number Of unprotected individ-
uals in the community the results