The Washington herald., 1922-04-03
An Expert Speaks.
the Editor. The washiustop Herald.

To the Editor, The Washington Herald:
accept the challenge of II. Bon
nell. who thinks doctors err" In
defining truthfully vaccine therapy,
though at first wish to inform
him that only through a study and
comprehension of the processe. un-
derlying bacteriolosy will he be
able to understand a subject at
present beyond his reach as q lay
man.
when micro organisms gain en-
trance to the animal or human
body and give rise to disease the
process is spoken of as infection.
In order to cause infection IL is
necessary that the bacteria gain
entrance to the body by a path
adapted to their own respective Gull
tural requirements. and be per-
mitted to proliferste after gaining
their foothold. The inhibiting fac
tors which prohibit an infection
may be spoken of as antibodies.
Antibodies are produced by at
tenuated or virulent bacteria after
being injected into the body. For
further information / refer You TO
Ehrlich's investigations. The classic
example OF immunization by attcn-
uated culture is afforded ny she
order of procedure of vaccination
against smallpox. Though the
specific parasite has not yet been
isolated. the cowpox virus, the vac
cine contains an attenuated form OF
smallpox parasite. weakened in
virulence by passage through the
body of the COW.
Our knowledge Of the mean. OF
defense against smallpox is fortu-
nately more advanced than is that
of its etiology. II mas been known
for centuries that one attack oil
smallpox protects one against SUBJ
sequent attacks. This knowledge
was made use of by the physicians
of ancient China and India, not as
the result of superstition" who
during mild epidemics. expos I'd
healthy children to infections. hop
ing that mild attacks woulG result
which would confer immunity. The
process of immunization WAS even
introduced into Europe in the eight
eenth century by Lady Mary
Wortley Montagu.
Such practices. however. were
made unnecessary by the classical
investigation OF Jenner in 1888.
Jenner had been impressed with the
fact that country people who had
been infected with a disease known
as cowpox were immuned against
smallpox. He proved this issue in
1896. He inocufated a boy with pus
from a cowpoN lesion on the hand
of an infected dairy-maid Two
months later the same boy was IN
oculated with material from a
smallpox postule without subse-
quent disease. with this experiment
the principles of vaccination in use
at the present time were founded.
Sternberg. Kinyoun and Others
have demonstrated that within two
weeks after vaccination, the blood
serum of the vaccinated patients
will neutrallze vaccine virus IL al
lowed to stand in a test tube with
IL overnight.
That vaccination is of incalculable le
benefit to the human race Is no long
er a question Of opinion. and oppo-
sition to the practice is explicable
only on the basis Of ignorance. sta
tisticsl compilations upon this point
are very numerous. II may suffice
to select from the voluminous liter.
ature single example taken from
Jungersen, which embodies the sta
tistics of death from smallpox In
Sweden, during the periods imnc-
diately preceding and following the
introduction of vaccination. In ths,
country the hrst vaccination was
done in 1901: in 1916 it was legally
| enforced.
1. Prevaccinal Period I774-lsoI
deaths. smallpox per million in.
habitants-2.o5o,
.. Transitional Period-1s SOL -Islo--
DEATHS, $50.
q. Vaccination Enforcement-iSlo-
1sS5-Deaths. 1ss.