The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-05-27
Foreign Advertising Representative
THE AMERICA PRESS ASSOCIATION
THE HEALTH CENTER
Conducted by Viola Hahn, Public
Health Nurse
The Growing Child

A series of articles presented to the
readers of this paper by the United
States Public Health Service, the
Maryland State Board of Hea tn anu
the County Health Officer.
School Children Should Be
Vaccinated.
Very few people, today have seen
case of smallpox, because, as a re-
suit of vaccination, civilized lands
have almost no smallpox within
their borders. Before vaccination
was discovered and practiced, how
ever, one-tenth of all deaths were
caused by smallpox. In Russia, in
those days, out of every seven chill
dren born, one died with smallpox.
In the eighteenth century (before
vaccination was practiced) sixty mil
lion people died of smallpox.
In 1907, there was an epidemic of
smallpox in Iceland, and out of a
population of fifty thousand people,
eighteen thousand died of the dis
ease. Just think, nearly half the
entire population carried off in a
year by disease which today can
be entirely prevented. Yet, in spite
of all this, cranks go about crying
out against vaccination.
In Prussia, before the Franco
Prussian war (1870) there were
ninety deaths year from smallpox,
to- every one hundred thousand of
the population. Twenty years later,
after the amount of smallpox afflict-
ing the soldiers led the government
to adopt compulsory vaccination
law, the deaths from smallpox per
one hundred thousand population
fell from ninety to two. At the
same time (1S84) Austria had not
yet learned its lesson, did not have
compulsory vaccination, and had
fifty-two deaths year from small
pox per one hundred thousand popu-
lation, whereas Prussia had only
two deaths.
Do such figures mean nothing to
you? If you are sane, and will
listen to reason, heed the advice
here given: Vaccination is a very
slight and painless operation, and is
effective protection against small
pox
All infants should be vaccinated
by the time they are six months old
and should be again vaccinated be-
fore they begin school. All people
should be re-vaccinated every six or
seven years. The re-vaccination is
necessary because vaccination is
known to protect against smallpox
only six or seven years.
1t is foolish to wait for an cpl
demic to break out before having
yourself re-vaccinated. You may
be caught in the first lot that suffer
and not have time to take advantage.
of the protection of re-vaccination.
In the presence of an epidemic or
a threatened epidemic every person
should be vaccinated, no matter how
young or how old, and no matter
how recently he was vaccinated. 1t
is not necessary to wait for any par
ticular month to be vaccinated.
Many people think May is the best
time, but this is not true; any other
month will do just as we'll. The be-
lief may be due to the fact that Ed
ward Jenner, who introduced the
practice of vaccination to the world,
did his first vaccination May 14th,
1886. Remember the name of this
great benefactor of mankind. It
deserves to be honored.
When vaccination is performed,
the slight wound must be kept clean
and dry until complete healing
which may take from ten to four
teen days. Don't wear shield.
Failure to keep the sore clean and
dry is what causes. the badly infiam-
med parts, which the cranks falsely
blame on the vaccination itself. If
such an inflammation occurs, go to
doctor and follow his advice.