JlLY 24, ino3.] 



SCIENCE. 



107 



health. lu the case of Gloucester, where 

 vaccination has been so freiierally neglected, 

 this objection can hardly apply. Yet at 

 Gloucester in 1892-3, there were, under 

 ten years of age, 26 attacks among the 

 vaccinated with one death, and 680 at- 

 tacks among the unvaccinated with 279 

 deaths. Statistics for six towns collected 

 by the English Royal Commission of 1889 

 showed fatality rates of 35.4 among the 

 unvaccinated and 5.2 among the vaccinated. 

 The third objection made to the hospital 

 statistics, namely, that the deaths of the 

 unvaccinated class are unfairly increased 

 by the inclusion of doubtful cases and those 

 who have been vaccinated but show no 

 scars, can scarcely apply to the commis- 

 sion's analyses. It will not, at any rate, 

 have nuich weight, except with those who, 

 like Mr. Wallace, believe that "in this mat- 

 ter of official and compulsory vaccination 

 both doctors and government officials, how- 

 ever highly placed, however eminent, how- 

 ever honorable, are yet utterly untrust- 

 worthy. ' ' 



A second important characteristic of the 

 cases of smallpox in a once vaccinated 

 population is that they are not only com- 

 paratively light, but that they affect the 

 later periods of life; and this represents an 

 important gain in the life capital of the 

 community. During the epidemic of 

 1870-3, Bavaria, with compulsory vaccina- 

 tion, had 851 deaths under, and 3,520 

 deaths over, twenty years, while the Nether- 

 lands without compulsory vaccination had 

 14,048 deaths under twenty and 6.524 at 

 higher ages. In the same great epidemic 

 71 per cent, of the deaths at Leicester and 

 64 per cent, of the death at Gloucester oc- 

 cui'red under ten years. In London the 

 percentage falling in this age class was 37, 

 and in "Warrington, with still more thor- 

 ough vaccination, it was 22.5. 



A single vaccination then greatly reduces 

 th(> j)r(ihal)ility of an attack of smallpox. 



postpones it to a later period of life and 

 renders it less dangerous if it does ensue. 

 To ensure absolute protection revaccination 

 is required; and its efficacy is well indi- 

 cated by the experience of the Prussian 

 army. In addition, one single bit of evi- 

 dence may be adduced which is more stri- 

 king, perhaps, than all the rest, the statistics 

 of nurses in smallpox hospitals. These fig- 

 ures are of .special interest because we have 

 here a fairly large class of persons whose 

 condition as to vaccination is accurately 

 known, and who are uniformly exposed to 

 the contagion of the disease; and the ex- 

 perience of two such comnuinities is quoted 

 l)y Dr. Edwardes. "During the epidemic 

 of 1871 there were 110 persons engaged 

 ill the Ilomertou Fever Hospital, in attend- 

 ance on the smallpox sick; all these, with 

 two exceptions, were revaccinated, and all 

 but these two escaped smallpox." "Of 

 734 nurses and attendants in the Mctro 

 politan Asylums Board Hospitals, 79 were 

 survivors from smallpox attack— they es- 

 caped infection; 645 wei'c revaccinated on 

 entrance— they all escaped; 10 were not 

 revaccinated, and the whole 10 took small- 

 pox." 



If statistics ever proved anything those 

 quoted above prove the protective influence 

 of vaccination. If any fact in science is 

 certain, it is certain that a successful vac- 

 cination absolutely prevents smallpox for 

 a period of some seven to ten years, that 

 after that period it rendei-s the disease less 

 fatal, and that its complete protective effect 

 may be renewed by revaccination. The 

 conclusion is obvious, not only that the 

 state should oblige primary vaccination, 

 but, in the words of a minority of the 

 British Royal Commission, that 'a second 

 vaccination, at the age of twelve, ought to 

 be made compulsory.' 



C.-E. A. WiN'si.ovv. 



Biological Dep.\btmext, 

 Massachusetts Instititk ok TEcHxonxiy. 



