The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-09-02


his column.
any population where smallpox
vaccination is allowed to lapse,
there is constant danger Of re-
currence Of an epidemic.
Smallpox sleeps, but it does not
die. Some place somewhere-in-
deed, in many places everywhere
- there is somebody carrying
around the virus Of smallpox.
We had an example few years
ago Of travelling show which was
nearly disorganized because case
Of smallpox broke out in the midst
Of its unvaccinated membership,
and rapidly spread all over.
You'll say that you have never
seen a case Of smallpox. Maybe
you have, and maybe you haven't.
Not SO very many years ago, an
Indiana Health Officer noticed the
following heading in the paper
from a certain city in Indiana:
"The scourge Of chicken pox
which began early in the fall
continues to increase in viru-
lence. Many Of the patients be-
come completely covered with
pustules and the head and neck
are so swollen as to make the
patient unacceptable. There
have been at least 800 cases;
many of them resembling small
pox. Some of the patients are
apt to 60 on until it becomes as
bad as smallpox"
A photograph Of one Of these
cases Of "chicken-pox" was sent to
the Health Officer at his request.
No photograph could ever have
illustrated a more beautiful full
blown case Of smallpox.
During an epidemic in my own
city about twenty years ago, Of a
most malignant form Of smallpox,
my Office and the Offices of my
medical friends were crowded with
people clamoring 10 be vaccinated.
They had never been vaccinated
before and had never seen the ne
cessity Of it until some real bad
cases were just at their door.
Children are particularly sus-
ceptible to smallpox and should,
Of course, be vaccinated long be-
fore they go to school. Vaccination
Of children is not nearly as hard
on them as the first vaccination Of
an adult. In fact, one American
physician recommends smallpox
vaccination on a child as soon as
it is born; certainly at the age Of
six months or a year, the first
smallpox vaccination should be
done.
Smallpox immunity begins To
run out about the fifth year, and
re-vaccination at this time will
usually result in a take, showing
that the child is not immune to
smallpox.
OF the students who matricu-
lated at certain college, approx
mately one-fourth had never been
vaccinated against smallpox, and
approximately two-thirds were in
some degree susceptible. Only
about SO Of the group had been
vaccinated more than once previ-
ously. Compulsory vaccination OBJ
tains in some places but voluntary
submission as a result of a full
knowledge Of the situation is much
the better course.
We can govern ourselves better
han this" remarked the islander.
Comment Changes
Today. though. there's a different
lone Of Filipino comment.
Manila and its background still
nay feel that they'd like independ-
.nce. but Commissioner Elizalde
obviously is suspicious that. IL they
get it. they'll be in imminent dam
ger Of having Japan take 1t away
rom EN-. and clearly they vastly
prefer their hook-up with WASH
ngton to being bossed from Toxic.
DR.. Villamin. to be sure, doesn't
believe that Japan will go to war.
Hes opposed to Filipino Ameri-
AN divorce rather on economic
grounds.
The fact is. our navy men al
vays have agreed that the Philip
lines have been ........sance TO US
yer since we acquired EN-. They're
90 distant to be conveniently de-
ended. But we got EN-. out Of the
,panish-American war. at a time
vhen Rudyard kipling was writing
IL his stories Of English younger
ons'" doings in India.