The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-12-07
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SMALLPOX A LUXURY


At this day and age of the world it
is not, and has not been necessary
(since Jenner gave US a specific pre-
ventive) for anyone to have smallpox,
unless they prefer to do so rather than
have their bodies rendered immune by
vaccination which, if properly done and
kept clean afterwards, is perfectly safe
and harmless, and in view of the fact
that the smallpox season is about due,
and it having actually started in the
state, it is certainly advisable for
those of our citizens who are not i'm
mune to get vaccinated at once.
Tt has been found from an examina-
tion of the school children that there
are many of them attending school who
have never been vaccinated, and while
that is question for the parents to
decide for themselves and their child
rem, the writer has seen hundreds of
people wait too long and as result
many useful lives were sacrificed.
Since 1871, over five thousand peo-
pie have died in Chicago of smallpox,
and in one of our neighboring states,
during an epidemic, ninety per cent of
all unyaccinated adults died. and at the
same time all recently successfully vac
cinted people were absolutely immune.
Germany has probably accomplished
more than any other country in the
way of graduating this awful scourge,
and it has done this by thorough sys-
TEN Of vaccination, which is begun
when the child is not more than one
year of age, and is repeated again at
school age, and again at army age, and
as a result Germany is practically free
from smallpox, as has been evidenced
especially during war times, when
there is much mixing and mingling of
people and more especially among the
soldiers who are huddled together in
close quarters in many instances, and
while under these conditions the Ger
man army in 1869 became infected and
there were four thousand eight humid
red and thirty-fve cases, with two
hundred and seventyeight deaths.
There were at the same time ninety
thousand deaths in the French army.
According to printed reports and
statistical data dealing with the NOR
tally from smallpox in Austria, about
ninety-eight per cent Of the population
have been vaccinated at least once dur
ing their life, and that very few, if
| any, of the younger generation of ply
cicianc have nvar -cnnn n roo1 ooco of
smallpox, except in pictures, and cases
are seldom seen by anyone except in
some of the seaports, where probably
some contrary American or stubborn
! Englishman has landed with the disease.
Some people are apparently very I'M
concerned about such things, but if the
tax payer will investigate this ques-
ton, he will find that he is or should
be very much interested, as it costs
about fifty dollars per case to have
smallpox in your community, while it
only costs about twenty-five cents (of
public expense) for vaccination, and
on this basis, one of our northern states
estimates it's loss on account of small
| pox at two hundred and thirty-three
thousand dollars for two years.
The writer has often been told that
smallpox is practically q thing of the
past and that it seldom kills anyone,
and such statements while intended to
be charitable display of wisdom, are in
reality Q pitiful display Of ignorance,
and our own public health reports show