Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1918-02-28
THE FAILURE OF VACCINATION
TO PREVENT FROM SMALLPOX
IN REFRIGERATED JAPAN

(By J. w. Hodge, M. d.. Niagara
Falls, N. Y. Reprinted from the
September 1910 number of the goth
Century Magazine.)
Japan is one of the most complete
ly vaccinated and re-vaccinated ma
tions in the world. In the year 1872
a law was passed making vaccination
in the country compulsory. Notwith-
standing the rigid enforcement of
that law, Japan subsequently, suffer-
ed many thousands of deaths annual
ly from smallpox following success
full vaccination.
Pro-vaccinist, far from being dis
mayed at this death roll, insisted
that it might have been avoided il
every individual, instead of having
been but once vaccinated, had been
re-vaccinated.
The legislative chamber, therefore
in the year 1885. passed another and
more stringent law whereby re-vac-
cination, repeated every five to seven
years, was made compulsory. In pur-
suance to this law, 25,474,370 vac
cinations, re-vaccinations and re-re-
vaccinations were officially recorded
as having been performed in Japan
between the years 1886 and 1892.
which means that about two-thirds
of the entire Japanese population al
ready vaccinated under the provis-
ions of the law of 1872, were re-
vaccinated within the period above
stated. 1t does not seem possible
that the most ardent pro-vaccinist
could desire more than this. What
was the result of this enormous
amount of re-vacination? The offic-
ial government records show that
during the seven years that inter-
vened between 1886 and 1892 Japan
suffered 3S,979 deaths from post
VAGINAL smallpox, while 156,175
cases of vaccinated smallpox were Of
ficially notified.
This was a case-fatality of nearly
twenty-five percent, which greatly
exceeds the smallpox death rate Of
the pre-vaccination epoch when no
body was vaccinated. BY the provis-
ions of the compulsory law. every
infant born within the Empire of
Japan must be vaccinated within the
first year after its birth. In case the
result of this primary vaccination
proves to be unsatisfactory, the vac
cine operation must be followed by
three additional operations within a
year
Even IL the result of the primary
vaccination proves successful" and
entirely satisfactory, vaccination is
required to be repeated after a per-
iod of from five to seven years there
after
In the event of an outbreak of
smallpox the japanese rigidly en-
force re-vaccination, irrespective of
previous vaccinations and re-vacci-
nations. In spite of these stringent
requirements in respect to re-vac-
cination. and re-re-vaccination, Of
the entire japanese population, what
has been the result? Let the sta
tistical government figures bear tes-
timony. During the sextennial per-
iod QS92-1S97) Japan had 142,O32
cases of post-vaccinal smallpox not
flied, 1885 of which cases proved
fatal. In a single year, 1898, 41.89S
cases of smallpox were officially
notified, 1852 of which cases prov
ed fatal.
BY another Act Of Parliament,
passed in 1896, and at once signed
by the Mikado, re-vaccination at the
end OF every five year period was
made compulsory upon every Japa-
nese subject, whatever his or her
station in life. This act, like its pre-
decessors, was rigidly enforced un-
der severe penalty. What was the
result? Nearly $4,000 cases of
smallpox were notified in the Empire
during the next and succeeding year.
In the single year of 1897 the
japanese nation had 41,946 cases of
smallpox officially notified, of which
1926 terminated fatally. This was
case fatality of about 32 per cent
or nearly double the fatality rate
for smallpox in the pre-Jennarian
era when nobody was vaccinated and