Variola, vaccination, varicella, cholera, erysipelas, whooping cough, hay fever / by H. Immermann [and others] ; edited with additions by John W. Moore ; authorized translation from the German, under the editorial supervision of Alfred Stengel.

  • Immermann, H.
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Variola, vaccination, varicella, cholera, erysipelas, whooping cough, hay fever / by H. Immermann [and others] ; edited with additions by John W. Moore ; authorized translation from the German, under the editorial supervision of Alfred Stengel. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    36/730 (page 26)
    Sex also plays no important part in predisposition to the disease ; men generally are infected as easily as women. It has been noticed, however, that in the latter, menstruation and pregnancy somewhat in- crease the susceptibility. It is also certain that smallpox is often extremely malignant in pregnant women. The fact that, in great epi- demics of smallpox, the number of cases among men is often greater than among women is doubtless due to the fact that their social position brings men more frequently into contact with the disease. The influence of race is perhaps of some importance. At least it has been shown that those belonging to the colored races (negroes and Indians) are subject to an especially grave form of the disease. Hence it appears that the natural susceptibility is even greater among these than among the white races. The relation of variola to other diseases is interesting ; it varies with the nature of the latter. Chronic diseases have no hifluence on the susceptibility, and even the infectious chronic diseases—as, for in- stance, tuberculosis and syphilis—offer no protection against smallpox. The same is true of many acute, non-infectious diseases. A peculiar position is, on the other hand, occupied by certain acute infectious dis- eases, and especially by the acute exanthematous diseases (measles, scar- let fever) and by typhoid fever, as it is well known that during their continuance an infection with variola is very rarely added to the already existing infection. Perhaps a similar preventive relationship is afforded by influenza, whooping-cough, and malarial fever (Rosenstein). Measles, scarlet fever, and typhus during the convalescence period act quite differently after the decline of tlie fever. Then the variola contagion is easily acquired, if there is an exposure to infection and if the patient has not been otherwise rendered immune. Positive experience teaches that double infection with measles, scar- let fever, and abdominal typhus [that is, typhoid or enteric fever] on the one hand, and smallpox on the other, may now and then occur (Steiner, Fleischmann, Simon). In what degree a similar preventive relationship exists between infectious diseases other than those named—as exanthe- mic typhus, relapsing fever, etc.—and variola is stiU to be ascertained. That variola infection often occurs in convalescents from typhoid fever has been frequently noted, as by Curschmann; I myself can assert the same from my own experience. A permanent abolition of the natural susce])tibility to variola is nearly always brought about by one attack of the disease, whether this attack is severe or mild. The knowledge of this fact is as old as the disease itself; long before the beginning of our era, it was used in India and in China in the way of direct variolation as a prophylactic measure.