Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-02-09
the termination of last years SUBJ
scription, think it is February End,
1901

the termination of last years sub
scription, I think it is February End,
1921.
Having been up to 33 years ago a
resident from youth of Orleans coun-
| ty, Lowell, / remember many people
still living there and no issue Of the
Monitor is without items in reference
to several that I once knew.
I have noticed the articles in re-
cent issues relative to bovine tuber-
.. culosis and vaccination against small
pox and am. little surprised that no
medical man arises in your columns
in defense Of those proceedings.
In this dairy region where I live,
the value of the tuberculin test is
seldom called in question any more.
Often a dairy owner voluntarily sends
for the state veterinarian to come
and test his herd, the test often finds
one or more animals affected. Such
are at once killed and the state gives
the owner a stated sum in remunera-
ton.
In regard to vaccination, would
like to give a little testimony from
my own knowledge, not that it will
convince any one of the disputants
over the question, for it still remains
true as ever, that, "He that's con-
WINGED against his will, is of the same
opinion still" For over seven years
I have been health officer of my town,
and for nearly as long deputy coun-
ty health commissioner for the south
end of this (Lake) county. During
that time, owing to lack of vaccina-
tons for many previous years, there
has been prevalent in scattered 10
calities in my district, several out
breaks of smallpox, mostly of very
mild type, which I have had to deal
with, so that have personally had
to see to many cases.
I have always inquired in each case
saw, if the patient had ever been
vaccinated, and in every case but two
the answer was no. And in no case,
except those two, did any others, who
had been vaccinated, ever contract the
disease. Those two cases spoken of,
had been vaccinated in early child
hood, which only goes to show that
one vaccination is not always pro-
tective for life. AS I have never
known a more serious result to fol-
low the vaccination than occasional
feel convinced of the usefulness and
usually harmlessness of vaccination
as preventative of small pox. These
outbreaks brought demand for vac
cination, quite general, and now for
about year have heard of no cases
in my district.
There is plenty Of it, however, in
the north end of the county compris-
ing the industrial cities, as Hammond,
Whiting, Indiana Harbor, East Chi
cago and Gary, and much opposition
is found there to vaccination, nearly
all among the most recent arrivals of
foreigners who work in the various
mills and factories. Most of these
people are ignorant and illiterate even
in their own language, and are just
as much opposed to quarantine as to
vaccination.
In spite of all the horror and dis
like of vaccination expressed by many,
certainly believe that if a referen-
dunn vote conld be taken of all the
people in the United States, for or
against, that the majority would be
in favor of vaccination.
You are at liberty to use this let
ter or as much of it as you see fit, in
your columns.
With hearty good wishes for the
prosperity Of the Monitor and it's
publishers, as we'll as of old Vermont,
and especially Orleans county,
Yours truly,
w. C Quincy, M. d.
Lowell, Indiana.