The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-21
An Article FavOring Vaccination And Some
 Facts to the Contrary
Continuing the discussion of the evidence ad- duced by the Publicity Committee of the Bridge port Medical Association.

In unvaccinated localities the dan ger of acquiring smallpox is very great and the mortality is also high for there is practically no na- tural immunity and the death rate runs from 20 to 40 per cent. We have not dwelt on the intense suffer ing and prostration which are fea- lures of the disease or upon the fani- liar disfgurement of the afflicted points we'll deserving of a separate and detailed description.
 No fact about the disease is better known to medical men than the wide variation in it's intensity, and fortu-- nately for us the recent epidemic was a. so-calIed mild" one. Yet it is possible for one of this type to change it's intensity at any time and wisdom and experience force the conclusion that universal vaccination is at present our best method of defence against it's protean possibilities. It is admitted without contention, that universal vaccination during an epidemic is not an ideal procedure, but on the contrary. an emergency measure, made necessary, from the medical viewpoint, by the neglect of
 
 which vaccination may be performed with minimum of discomfort.
 It might be interesting at this point to discuss the preparation of the vac cine virus. The procedure is as fol- | lows: All the steps being conducted under regulations issued by the I United States Government. A healthy young Eeifer is selected, and after careful preparation of the skin, is
 vaccinated with cow-pox. When the
 lesion has developed to the point in which the vesic1es show the milky exudate, the animal is killed. The indurated (hard) portions of the
 lesion Chat part beneath the vesic1es) | are removed with every precaution taken to avoid contamination. This part is then ground up with g1ycerin to which has been added a certain l portion of carbolic acid, sufficient to | insure it's antiseptic preservation but | not great enough to neutralize the
 activity of the specific virus which it contains. Cultures (growths) are carefully made on nutrient media | (nourishing soi1) to allow the devel- opment, if present, of any harmful | bacteria. If these do not develop, and the virus is shown to be pure, | according to government standards, | tests are made with the virus to demonstrate its activity.
 In the meantime, an autopsy is performed on the killed animal and 1 if the result shows a normal condi- | tion of all the organs, the virus is accepted. Thus it will be seen that no pus enters into the preparation of this substance. In fact if the yesicles | by any chance have been allowed to reach the purulent stage they are de- clared unfit for use and are rejected. The glycerinated and carbo1ized virus is collected carefully into tiny
 sterile glass tubes which are at once hermetieally sealed, by fusing the ends. Every possible care is taken
 to see that the preparation contains the virus of vaccinia and nothing else. Some objectors have criticized the use Of this product because of it's animal origin, judgment that inn plies unfamiliarity with the progress
 of modern therapeutics. Many of our most certain and potent remedies are animal products. Witness the almost miraculous drop in the death rate from diphtheria since the intro- duction of diphtheria anti-toxin (from horse-serum) as an example of the value of these products. Note the value of normal horse serum in the treatment of internal hemorrhage-a condition often otherwise uncontro1I- able. Examine the. statistics on the development of tetanus before and since the use of tetanus antf-toxin. This is also an animal product used to prevent lock-jaw.
 Fourth of a series of articles on Public Health prepared by the Pub nc1ty Committee of the Bridgeport Medical Association. |