Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-02
Clinic Open Sunday.
VACCINATION PERIL DENIED.

tACCINA1ION PEhIL DENIED.
Charges in the Evening Graphic, a
New York paper, published by Bernarr
McFadden, and distributed in Wash
ington, that vaccination will not pro-
tect against smallpox drew fire from
Health Service. who issued a formal
denial of the charges. and went into
Surg. Gen. Cumming of the Public
the medical history of the subject.
NO more false or misleading state
ment could be made than to say that
vaccination will not protect against
smallpox" said the Surgeon General.
Vaccine is not pus. nor is it poison
in the accepted meaning of these
terms. Chloroform is a poison. CO
caine is a poison, even quinine and
calomel are poisons, but when used
properly all these substances confer
very great benefits on the human race.
So does vaccine when used properly
confer a greater benefit than any
other one measure that has ever been
discovered"
Asserts Protection Given.
'It is not true" continued the sur
geon general, that there are no sta
tistics TO show that vaccination will
protect against smallpox. There are
records of thousands of persons who
shortly after vaccination was discov-
cred were first vaccinated and later
inocculated with smallpox, none of
whom contracted the disease.
Smallpox is a filthy disease, but
not filth disease. Sanitation has
little, If any, influence in checking its
ravages. On the other hand, vacci-
nation will protect against smallpox
though people may live in squalor
THE vaccine used today is the best
that can be produced by modern
means. Vaccine virus and not small
poX virus Is used to inoculate calves
In its production. If all strains of
cowpox were lost, it is probable that
smallpox virus. after repeated passage
through a number of calves, might uu
used with perfect safety, but no one
would inoculate a calf with smallpox
and use the virus so produced from
the first calf. 1t Is not true that
smallpox is or ever was produced by
vaccination.
Danger Declared Slight.
when vaccination is properly
performed and the wound properly
cared for the danger is negligible
The physicians of the Army and Navy
since 1900 have vaccinated more than
5000 900 persons without a single
death. 1t is true that one death
occurred during the course of vac
cination, but l am informed that this
man contracted influenza pneumonia
after vaccination and died of this
disease. 1t seems highly probable
that vaccination had nothing to dc
with his illness or death. The use OF
cocaine or ether by the surgeon or
dentist Is much more dangerous than
vaccination. In my judgment, when
bad results follow vaccination they
are almost invariably due to i'm
proper methods of vaccinating and
improper dressings.
How long one vaccination protects
against smallpox depends on the fresh
ness, the potency of the vaccine used
and to a less extent the severity OF
the type of smallpox to which one il
exposed. From to 10 years appears
to be the average period of more OF
less complete protection, but it may
be much longer or considerably short
err. Three successful vaccinations at
different periods of life afford practi
calIy complete protection Throughout
life. If all people were vaccinated il
infancy, again between Is and i.
wears of age and again between 81
and 40, smallpox would probably dis
appear from the earth. Second and
third vaccinations are much mildel
than first vaccinations, depending or
the length of time since the last vac
cination.'