Show vaccination to SAY anything against vaccination is in some peoples deorle s minds equivalent to proclaiming ones ignorance or crankiness yet there are many very sensible people who are vehemently opposed to this method of attacking smallpox and who maintain that it is not a preventive and does more harm than it can possibly do good it is nearly a century since dr jenner made the discovery and introduced trod the practice which has made his name famous throughout the civilized world it is certain that since its introduction the deaths from that terrible scourge which once disfigured multitudes where it did not decimate the population have greatly decreased at one time in england ninety six out of every one thousand deaths were from smallpox the ratio diminished to thirty live five per pe thousand as soon as vaccination was adopted and remained nearly so for fifty years but there are physicians and other educated and observing men who contend that though thew these statistics may be correct that does not p ove that the decrease of the ratio of deaths from that disease is due to vaccination and they bring forth some strong reasons to support a contrary hypothesis it is further argued that healthy children have been impregnated with vile ale blood disorders by the filthy practice of putting animal corruption into their veins numerous instances are cited to prove this it is also claimed that the he practice of taking pus from oue one vaccinated vaccina ted child to inoculate another often communicates disease ease hereditary in the family to which the first belongs there have been cases in this territory which seem to bear out obese objections and if it can be demonstrated that the decline in the fatality and spread of smallpox is due to other causes than vaccination there will wih be a revulsion of public sentiment on the question and people will become as repugnant to the practice as they are now eager to sustain it by law and by custom compulsory vaccination which obtains in england and some other countries has always been resisted by a portion of the people and parents are willing to pay repeatedly the fine imposed for neglect of th the regulation rather than infuse into their childrens blood diseased matter from an animal or from the arm of a child who may possibly fee be of diseased ancestors this opposition has become so strong of late as to open the question of the value of vaccination once considered settled by the faculty A commission has been appointed under act of parliament in england to investigate thoroughly the whole subject and make macea a full report the result of these inquiries will be looked for with interest not only by practising practicing physicians but by all who desire the health and welfare of the human family |