The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-14

l Vaccination in those already more
 or less protected from g. previous in- | oculation exhibits reaction symptoms 1 roportionate to the degree of inn nrunity acquired at that time, Thus, | in those whose degree of protection | is high, there may be no reaction at all and the vaccination is said mot
 to take.'' At the other extreme are those whose protection or immunity l is exhausted and in these the vacci- l nation takes actively but never I with quite the marked reaction shown in the primary inocu1ation- An average picture in a person re-vacci-
 hated after 10 or IS years might be as follows:
 point of inoculation. there is redness,
 swelling, some pain or itching and the limb feels somewhat lame. These symptoms are followed by slight rise of temperature. possibly a headache
 or moderate amount of vertigo. or dizziness. There may be a suspicion of nausea, some loss of appetite, all of these symlptom disappearing in a
 day or two as a rule. The wound meanwhile has swollen and produced a vehicle filled with a milk-hke fluid
 which becomes yeMowish while the
 center of the vehicle becomes de- pressed or urnlbilicated. This process
 ends in a crust formation, capping the original wound. All the symptoms are, therefore. like the primary vac
 cination symptoms but much less
 marked in intensity, begin earlier and run a shorter course. The pro- tection is in both cases alike.
 - It is the duty of parents to see that children are vaccinated in infancy for it is in this period of life that sus- ceptfbility to smallpox is greatest and the mortality high. Vaccination in infancy acts like the other so
 (measles, chickenpox, German measles, etc.), which, in most cases are of short duration and exhibit no alarming symptoms. These diseases when attacking adults are apt to be
 much more severe.
 In infancy and childhood vaccfna- ton is particularly well borne and has few disagreeab1e symptoms. At this time, too. one may select the more favorable seasons, such as spring for this procedure and one may also chose time when the pa tient is in the best physical condition.
 In a welI-ordered city, with all children vaccinated in infancy and again in youth, there is practically no smallpox in the schools; about three cases in 100000 children, and these generally foreign cases" - that is, introduced from without.
 In Bridgeport 25 or 30 years ago, when vaccination before entering public school was obligatory, we al- most never had a case in school children. Contrasting this with our recent experience the conclusion Is obvious. Over 90 per cent. of these cases have occurred in unvaccfnated persons. It may be clearly within the right and privilege of an adult to ac- cept vaccination or not. but in the case of children it would seem that the protection against smallpox which this offers should be made ob- Iigatory by suitable regulations
 When an epidemic of smallpox oc- CUTS in a city like Bridgeport through neglect of vaccination. quite aside from the physical damage inflicted, the social and economic reaction is necessarily bad. Evil reports of con- ditions here, (generally to be sure much exaggerated) are broadcasted by newspapers and the locality gains | for the time being at least a reputa- | tion which naturally curta1IS bus1neSS relations. Our commercial men are | not encouraged to call on those in other cities who are fearful of con- contemplated visits to Iii oit one instance it has happened that a business man was denied he privilege of landing in a Southern ,ity during our recent epidemic.
 Third of a. series of articles on Public Health prepared by the Pub icity Committee of the Bridgeport Medical Association. ':