Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Prevention and restriction of small-pox. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.
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![In Sweden the average number of deaths in each year from small-pox per one million inhabitants was,— Before the introduction of vaccination (1774-1801), 1,973. During the period of optional vaccination (1802-1816'), 479; And during the period of obligatory vaccination (1817-1877), 189. Vaccination was introduced in England near the beginning of the present century, and since 1853 compulsory vaccination has been attempted. In England the number of deaths in each year from small-pox per one million inhabitants was,— At the close of the last century, 3,000; From 1841 to 1853 (average), 304; From 1854 to 1863 (average), 171. In the Bavarian army revaccination has been compulsory since 1843. From that date till 1857, not even a single case of unmodified small-pox occurred, nor a single death from small-pox. During 43 years of duty, Dr. Marson, physician of the London small-pox hospital, has never observed a single case of small-pox in the officers and employees of the hospital, who are revaccinated when they enter the service, and who are constantly exposed to the infection. ''Out of more than 10,000 children vaccinated at Brussels with animal lymph, from 1865 to 1870, and who went through the terrible epidemic of small-pox which in 1870 and 1871 frightened the world, not a single one was, to my knowledge, reported as being attacked by the disease. The same immu- nity was shared by those—a much larger number—whom I had revaccinated, and who at the same time were living in epidemic centers.—Dr. Warlemont, of Brussels.—[North Carolina MedicalJournal, January, 1880. Vol. v., p. 2.] 3. Who should be vaccinated—Everybody, old and young, for his own inter- est and that he may not become a breeding-place for the distribution of small- pox to others, should seek that protection from small-pox which is afforded by vaccination alone. Ic is believed that all persons except those mentioned in the following paragraph may, if the operation is properly performed, at the proper time, and with pure bovine virus, be vaccinated with perfect safety to themselves. Even those who have had small-pox should be vaccinated, for otherwise they may take the disease; and it seems to be proved that a larger proportion of those who have small-pox a second time die than of those who have the disease after vaccination. 4. Who should not be vaccinated.—Unless exposure to small-pox is believed to have taken place, or likely to take place, teething children, pregnant women, persons suffering with measles, scarlet fever, erysipelas, or susceptible to and recently exposed to one of these diseases, persons suffering with skin disease or eruption, and in general feeble persons not in good health, should not be vac- cinated. In all cases in which there is any doubt as to the propriety of vaccin- ating or postponing vaccination, the judgment of a good physician should be taken. The restriction as to vaccinating teething children makes it important that children should be vaccinated before the teething process has begun, because small-pox is very much more dangerous than vaccination. Small-pox is exceedingly dangerous to pregnant women. 5. When should a person be vaccinated.—The sooner the better, as a rule, and especially whenever there is much liability of exposure to small-pox. Children should be vaccinated before they are four months old; those who have never been vaccinated, should, with the exceptions previously made, in paragraph 4,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21230444_0006.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
