OBJECTIONS TO VACCINATION NOT VALID 427 



serious epidemic in 1918. During this year, 60,447 deaths oc- 

 curred. At this time, only one case developed among the 5422 

 vaccinated United States troops who were stationed on the Islands. 



There are still about 70,000 cases of smallpox in the United 

 States annually, because vaccination is not universally enforced. 

 In two states where vaccination is not required, there are many 

 cases of smallpox. In one of these states there were over 2000 

 cases and 230 deaths reported in 1926 ; in the other, 2413 cases 

 and 31 deaths were reported in 1926. Contrasted with these 

 states, a state where vaccination is rigidly enforced had, in the 

 same year, only 56 cases and no deaths. 



Objections to vaccination not valid. When there is a specific 

 prevention for a disease, as there is in vaccination against smallpox, 

 it seems unbelievable that there are so many cases each year. 

 The objections raised to vaccination are not well founded. One 

 of them is that it causes lockjaw. There is no evidence to sup- 

 port this belief. Since there is a scratch made in the vaccination 

 process, there is probably the same danger of getting lockjaw as 

 there would be from any scratch. There is no danger of lockjaw 

 peculiar to the vaccination process. Strict government inspec- 

 tion of the virus used in vaccination precludes the possibility of 

 contamination. Ordinary precautions of a vaccination must be 

 taken, however, to prevent infection. Some people think the 

 vaccine is taken from a person who has smallpox and that this 

 material may contain germs of the disease. The material is taken 

 from calves and not people. The calves are examined carefully 

 so as to eliminate the possibility of any disease being transmitted 

 to people through the vaccine. The vaccine virus is always very 

 carefully purified before being used. 



Questions and Suggestions 



1. Trace the early history of smallpox, including its introduction 

 into America. 



2. Trace the history of inoculation to the time of Edward Jenner. 



