The San Francisco call. [volume], October 16, 1904, Image 7

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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This is conceded to be a different age
from that of Jenner, and yet certain
conditions exist now that are" condu
cive to the spread of the disease that
did not exist in his time. Population
has increased,- particularly in cities,
means of locomotion have multiplied
and there is a closer commercial rela
tion between nations than ever before,
so -that infection is easily transferred
from one country. to another.
Some persons should: not be submit
ted to the operation of vaccination, as
its success depends largely upon the
condition of the blood and system'gen
.... - • ..
due haste and insufficiency, inferiority,
or, failure of lymph in times of panic.
i The abolition of compulsion would
mean the negleqt ef vaccination and
the accumulation of unprotected per
sons in a community, so that in the
¦ panic produced by an epidemic vaccin
ation would be overtaxed, with serious
results, and there would be an insuffi
cient supply of lymph. The ignorant
and the improvident, neglect vaccina
tion, as they do' other prudent meas
ures that bear remote results. Many
'be the medical fraternity contend that
¦it might be well to do away with com
pulsion, as pestilence la one of the
agencies by which overpopulation is
regulated and that It usually picks oft
the weak and those not well fitted to
battle with life.
Statistics showing the' efficacy of vac
cination" seem to be conclusive, but it
will be seen that they differ widely
from those introduced bv anti-vacclna
tionists. Both factions are positive
that figures presented by them are cor
rect. Regard is certainly due to the
opinions of such eminent authorities as
servj>d on the German Vaccination
Commission of 1SS4. In their opinion
the credit of diminishing mortality in
Germany was due to compulsory re
vaccination. Most important evidence
is shown in reports compiled in Eng
land and Wales. Before the introduc
tion of vaccination there were 3000
death3 In every million of the popula
tion from smallpox, while in 1890 this
disease caused only fifteen deaths in
England, and the annual number of
deaths In ten years, 1SS1-00. Inclusive,
was one-seventieth part only of the
death rate of pre-vaccination times. It
is held that vaccination not only great
ly diminished the number stricken, but
that it greatly influenced the death
rate among those attacked. In Shef
field, in the outbreak of 1S37-SS, of 4151
vaccinated patients 200 died, or 4.8 per
cent; of 652 unvacclnated patients 274
died, or 49.6 per cent. If the death rate
of vaccinated children under ten years
of age* during this same epidemic, had
been at the same rate as that of the
unvaccinated there would have been
4400 deaths*, whereas there were only 9
such death3.
In Prussia the mortality from small
pox In the year 1835 was 27 per every
100,000 persons, while in 1886, vacclqp
tion and revaccination being obliga
tory, the death rate was reduced to but
0.39 per 100.000 Inhabitants. Only one
great epidemic has occurred since vac
cination was made obligatory— that of
1871-72— while in the preceding century,
there were 32 epidemics. The pro-vac
cinatlonists do not claim that the mild
ness of modern epidemics is due solely
to vaccination. Notification, Isolation
and disinfection are admitted as sup
plementary measures, while the sever
ity and extent depend largely upon
the season, dwelling, mode of life and
care of the skin. *
as it is chimerical and it is as irrational
as it is presumptuous." Another au
thority cited is Dr. Stowell, an English
physician of twenty years' 1 experience,
who says: "The general declaration of
my patients enables me to proclaim
that the vaccination notion is not only
a delusion, but a curse to humanity."
Charles Ruata in the New York Medi
cal Journal July 22, 1899, makes the
startling statement that 3S.5 per" cent
of the population were vaccinated and
yet In the years 1887-88-89 42,272 deaths
from smallpox occurred. In Italy there
were 16,000 deaths, whiie 08 per cent of
the people were vaccinated. The sweep
ing statement is made that "about 60
per cent of all physicians' who have
practiced their professions more than
five years know that vaccination is not
only dangerous, but entirely. Ineffective
as a preventive against smallpox^" -
Many physicians claim that immunity
can be secured by the use of certain
preventive remedies. Revaccination is
Etrongly objected to on the ground that
no doctor is certain from the cicatrix
whether revaccination is necessary or
not. One prominent sneaker cited the
case cf a man who was declared im
mune on account of a remarkably
good cicatrix. when the fact was it
was only the scar from the bite of a
colt. The opposition holds that doctors
who practice it should be made to pay
damages in case of death or disability.
They say that the mildness of modern
epidemics Is due solely to isolation and
sanitation. "The whole world is vacci
nated and yet smallpox exists."
• Statistics from the armies of differ
ent countries are given to prove that
soldiers vaccinated, and revaccinated
many times have not been immune
from attacks of the disease. In fact, it
"is asserted that epidemics begin with
the vaccinated and the revaccinated.
Some of the prominent speakers at
anti-vaccination meetings have been
those whose objection to the practice
Is based upon the loss by death of some
member of the family as a result of
vaccination and it is held that compul
sion under such painful circumstances
Is little less than cruelty. In support
of their opposition to Its continuance
many statistics have been complied to
show the cause of death to have been
from vaccination. It is said that in
England 25,000 children are annually
slaughtered by disease inoculated Into
the system by virus, while by far a
greater number are disabled or Injured
for life. It Is contended that there Is
no definite way for physicians to de
termine the character of the vaccine
used, and that there is no way of test-
Ing the absolute purity of what Is
placed upon the market. In the north
of England a house to house canvass
was made for the purpose of gaining
trustworthy Information, with the re
sult that 750 deaths were alleged to
be due to vaccination, while there were
3135 cases of injury recorded. It is
cited that nine cases of lockjaw oc
curred in Philadelphia In three days.
Another instance mentioned , is that out
of forty' inoculate'd children tilne died
of vaccinia. In? 1885 ¦ Dr. Andua, a
prominent physician' of Asprieres, vac
cinated forty-two children. .All were
attacked with fever, and six were dead
At tha anti-vaccination meetings it is
pointed out that people suffer from
lack of knowledge and that the theory
of. vaccination has not been strength
ened by virtue of its age.
The most important objections made
to the inoculation of virus as now
practiced by most physicians are that
it cannot be proven that smallpox epl
domics have been lessened by its prac
tice; that vaccine causes the system to
become impregnated with different poi
sons; that there Is an Increased mor-*
tallty from diseases inoculated into
the system by vaccination, and the law
of compulsion is considered un-Ameri
can. It is claimed that vaccination Is
a "risky business" and a "filthy fad,"
which originated* in a dairy maid su
perstition, first promulgated by a bar
ber named Jenner.
To prove its inefficiency such au
thorities as Dr. Charles Ruata, Dr.
Buckner Basel, Dr. Gregory, Dr. Crue
¦well, Dr. Stowell and the late Herbert
Spencer are freely quoted. K A numb'er
of periodicals are published In support
of the antl-vacdnat!on theory, notably
the Antl-Vacclnatlon Inquirer of Lon
don and one published in Terre Haute,
Indiana, called Vaccination. Dr. Greg
ory, medical director of the London
Smallpox Hospital, in the Medical
Times of January, 1S52, is quoted as
caying: "The Idea of extinguishing
smallpox by vaccination is as absurd
THE California Anti-Compulsory
Vaccination League is the name
of. a new organization that
threatens California. Its object
is to create a sentiment throughout the
State against the compulsory vaccina
tion of public school children as now
required by the State school law. A
determined effort on the part of those
actively connected wltn this new so
ciety will be made to have the vaccina
tion act wiped from the statutes at the
ccmlng session of the. State Legisla
ture. As the matter now. stands the
law seems to have been thoroughly
tcEted, as the State Supreme Court has
three times affirmed its validity. Many
are satisfied with the law which pro
hibits the attendance at school of chil
dren having contagious diseases.
The most active agitation seems to
have centered in Oakland and Berke
ley, where legal measures have been
taken to restrain the Boards of Edu
cation from enforcing the law. The
school authorities are, however, deter
mined to insist upon strict compliance
with the law, with the result that In
Berkeley 885 pupils of the public
schools were excluded from the class
rccms."
As a result of the antagonism of the
opposing forces, mass meetings have
been held and overcrowded halls have
been proof of the Interest of the com
munities in the agitation.
The purpose of this article is not to
take sides for or against vaccination,
but to present the arguments and sta
tistics introduced by both factions, that
a clear understanding may be had of
tho matter as regarded from different
points of view.
Anti-Vaccination.
American liberty should, grant to
every* citizen freedom of individual be
lief and action,;; but there are times
when that freedom should be, to a cer
tain degree, restricted.
erally. Many physicians .-refuse to
practice it at all unless they have a
personal knowledge of the constitution
of the patient. That death Is some
times due to its practice 13 .admitted
by those favoring it, but this' is always
the result of accident. According to the
German commission previously referred
to, "no probable Increase of any par
ticular disease has taken place as the
consequence of vaccination." Any open
sore is liable to infection.; Death IS
frequently caused by no more serious
accident than running a . sliver Into
one's flnger.\ Considering the Immense
number of vaccinations performed and
with the same constant danger of in
fection as to any wound, it Is quite ex
traordinary that so few fatalities occur.
Want of care and absence of antiseptic
precautions or use of human lymph
are causes of infection or poisoning.
Many fatalities' have been traced to
improper cleansing of . the vaccinating
needle. It hag been • definitely deter
mined that only animal lymph should
be used. The great advantage of the
use' of calf lymph" Is that it sweeps
away any suspicion of the inoculation
of other diseases. Syphilis cannot be
communicated to animals. Lymph is
now being prepared from carefully se
lected calves that are quarantined and
closely observed for some length of
time before vaccination, and before
placing the lymph on the market the
animal should be killed and tests made
upon the body to Insure its absolute
healthiness.
Dr. Cory, the director of the animal
vaccination station of the local Govern
ment board, in his evidence before the
royal co-mmlFSion of England states
that from 1SS2-S3 32,002 vaccinations
were performed with calf lymph and
that there were only eight deaths. Of
these only two could be reasonably at
tributed to vaccination, namely, two
cases of wound disease — cellulitis and
erysipelas. This mortality is probably
not even so high as that resulting from
common cuts and scratches.
The case of the loss of six children
out of forty-two vaccinated by Dr.
Andua in 1SS5 is so frequently referred
to by antl-vacclnatlonists. is explained
by P. Bronardel of Paris, who shows
that death was due to the use of hu
man virus. That Leicester, England,
has prohibited vaccination for years,
and ' has escaped a scourge is due
wholly to the fact that it is sur
rounded by a population which is pro
tected by vaccination.
The evidence so far leads to the con
clusion that the best defense of a-com
munity against smallpox is not the re
peal of the law of compulsion, but in
adopting the following measures: The
use of calf lymph only, compulsory pri
mary vaccination In Infancy, occasional
revaccination, isolation of imported
cases of disease, disinfection and sani
tation. The present agitation will tend
to educate the people of the communi
ty, will make physicians more careful
in their selection of lymph, care
of Instruments and cleanliness of
wounds. ' :"V
The existence of the disease in the
United States to-day is due in the main
to individuals who resist attempts for
the protection of the population. No
man is responsible to himself alone for
the care of his own body. An unvae
clnated group of persons in a com
munity are a menace to the health of
the entire population, and it Is con
tended that no one has the right to
endanger the life of the entire commu
nity by refusing to comply with the
law.
The majority of medical practition
ers throughout the world are strong in
their support of the Jenner theory of
vaccination and scarcely consider it
worth while to attempt to refute the
views of the "fanatical anti-vaccina
tion'party." Suaij. authorities. as John
F. J. Sykes of London, John William
Moore of Dublin, Pasteur,. Koch and
Sir John Simons will be freely quoted
in this treatise. The mass of evidence
confirming the protective power of
vaccination and revaccination is Irre
sistible and opposition to it Is due prin
cipally to the objection to compulsion.
The objects of compulsion are the ab
solute necessity of protecting the larg
est percentage possible of the popula
tion for the benefit of. the whole com
munity; ':. to secure. a regular and suffi
cient supply of lymph; to prevent un-
The fact that the town of Leicester,
in England, has prohibited vaccination
and that smallpox has been unknown
there for years is held up as an exam
ple of what all towns would be Svith
out it.
Many of the opposition Justify their
opinions simply upon the ground that
compulsion interferes with liberty and
that taxation without education is tyr
rany. _A strong expression used is that
"rebellion to tyrants is obedience to
God." The claim Is made that the law
was not passed at the instigation of
nor by the wish of the people, but that
it was through the efforts of "a few
political doctors and in the interests of
the vaccine trust."
In refusing to comply with the law,
many agitators express themselves as
being unwilling to become martyrs to
a superstition, to submit to any inter
ference with their religious belief (to
this class belong Christian Scientists,
faith cure adherents and various kinds
of healers), but Insist upon the right
of every American citizen to enjoy that
"American liberty which is supposed
to grant to each and every one freedom
of individual belief and action."
In Favor of Vaccination.
the next day. The . health '-'office of
Berlin showed In 1891 1OCK) deaths; re
sulting frc-m vaccination. ." • . .' ' -
It is contended that no correct, esti-.
mate is possible of the harm. done, by
this vicious practice, as many fatali
ties are covered up; but it Is responsi
ble for the long death lists of erysipe
las, heart disease, tuberculosis, pneu
monia, kidney 'disease and insanity. In
fact, almost any disease that flesh is
heir to may be attributed to vaccina
tion. Herbert Spencer is quoted as
saying "that the ravages of influenza"
of recent years are directly attributa
ble to vaccination and that la grippe
was never such a menace . to health
until vaccination became almost uni
versal." Infantile syphilis increased in
England, from 1S53 to 18S3, In propor
tion to vaccination. Dr. Cruewell, con
sidered by many a' hign medical au-»
thorlty, swore under oath: "Every In
oculation of so-called prolectic pox is
syphilitic poisoning." Thus it is con
tended that even if smallpox has vir
tually been annihilated, general mor
tality has increased, and there is every
recson to attribute this to the practice
of vaccination. " : \-
QUESTION OF COMPULSORY VACCINATION
Boon after this the great chief was
obliged to go hunting, as almost all
the food was gone. He left Yehl
Quite alone in the hous- and the very
first thing he did was to cut the skin
strings of the box that was harming
from the roof and ict out his uncle's
pretty wife. As she stepped out of
the box two little birds flew out from
under her arms and they at once
guessed that they would fly off to tell
the chief. Sure enough In a few mo
ments he came rushing in, roaring
with rage and called out as loud as he
could, pointing to the sea:
"Let the tide come up."
Higher and higher rose the tide un
til the house was covered, but Yehl
changed himself Into a monstrous
crow and flew up to the sky, where
he hung on the edge of a cloud until
the floods had gone down again.
After this he called a great sea ot
ter to htm and sent him to the bot
tom of the sea, telling him to bring
back a quantity of a certain kind of
fine sand. Out of this sand he made
the world we live in now. When the
•world was made it was as bare as the
sand of which Yehl made it. But he
took some seaweed, chewed it up very
fine and spat it out und it grew and
became all the vegetation of the,
earth. Then Yehl made the animals*
and last of all he ma.de men and
women-
He made the first man out of stone,
but he proved to be dull and heavy.
Also Yehl was afraid he might be
come too powerful and reisn over him.
so he took a stick of wood and this
time the men were light and active.
Some say that Yehl made his man
out of a leaf end the woman out of
the blossom of a wild strawberry, but
no one believes this now.
About that time all the fire was on
one little island far off in the sea.
Ea asked tha boy to go out with him
In b'.s bark canoe fishing and In the
deepest part of the rfver tipped the
boat over. But Yehl let himself sink
to tha bottom and walked ashore on
tha «and-- Then his uncle took him Into
tha darkest, wildest part of the forest
a^a tying him up in a bark canoe left
h<m to starve. But again Yehl put
oot hU strong arms, broke the bonds,
picked up the canoe and .trotted home
with It.
L
* £ T T Is in the songs, the traditions,
I the folk lor« of a people that
I »e get the most Intimate and
the most unerring view of them."
Once upon a time there was a great
chief. He was of a very wicked nature
and very jealous of everybody, but
most so of his lovely young wife. He
even kept her shut up in a big box,
which he hung from the roof by cords
cf skins. This chief had a sister also,
who had two sons, but both the chil
dren and their mother feared this chief
fcr his cruel ways and hid as far away
as possible. One day, however, he
found them all and instantly killed
both the boys, saying he feared that
when they gTew older they might steal
his wife away.
Then the sorrowful mother fled and
hid herself, crying all day and night
for her pretty boys. In the evening,
as Ehe was weeping, there appeared to
her e crane. She thought the crane
was a man. fcrr so he seemed to her,
while he was really a wonderful magic
crane who could do strange things. The
crane asked her many questions about
her sad fortune and sympathized with
her very kindly. Finally he told her to
choose a Email round pebble from the
•bore as clean and white as she could
find and to swallow It. This she did
«.nd after a little time she bore a child,
a »on, who was the famous Yehl, about
Trtioin many stories are told over the
fire* In winter nights.
Yehl'a mother hid him carefully, for
she remembered his wicked uncle and
feared for hl» life. But In less than
tta days tha baby had become a full
grown man. tall and fearless. Then his
xaether was glad and gave him a bow
and arrows and taught him to shoot
ttr&lftot and true. Then she brought
fttm cpenly to the house of the great
chief, who, cf course, pretended to be
pleased, but that very moment plotted
to destroy him.
Once upon a time there was no moon
for a long, long time. And the white
people were afraid. They- thought that
the Great Spirit, who had charge of the
sky, was very angrry and mig-ht never
put the moon out any more. And they
were sorrowful, for up there they love
the soft moonlight very much. ,
And so the raven, who .was friendly
to them and also very clever.' offered to
fly.up into the blue and try to see what
•was the matter. He went, and was
gone a long while, but was unabte to
find out anything except that the Great
Spirit kept the moon and the stars in a
box and that only he himself had the
key.
Then the clever raven changed him
self into the most beautiful little" boy
you could imagine and went to see the
Great Spirit. Here he soon made him
self at home, and by-and-by the Great
Spirit became as fond of him as any
grandfather and grave him hl3 own way
in everything— except when he' asked
for the moon and star box to play .with.
But one day the sweet little raven boy
begged so hard and cried so loudly that
he got the coveted box. In the twink
ling of an eye he changed himself into
a raven asain and flew off with the
moon and stars as hard as he could.
He kept dropping the stars all alonj
the but the. moon was so big he
could hardly manage it. So he began
to bite'ofT bits of it with his sharp
beak and let the bits drop into the
water, where they lay shining.
And i? you do not believe this story.
go and look at the water any moonlight
night.
the stream to wash . them and then
hung them up to dry. -They waited and
waited, but the clothes were as wet as
before. Then the girls grew impatient
and called at the top of their voices:
"Oh, north wind, please come quickly
and dry our clothes."
And the north wind heard and came
along with such power that he froze all
the streams and started a mass of Ice
rushing along toward the ocean. When
the Indians saw this they were- fright
ened-almost to death, and finding out
from the poor girls that they were the
cause of the mischief, took them and
threw them right In the path of the ice.
Suddenly the Ice stopped, and has re
mained so always except when a few
little bits crumble off wlth>a loud noise
to remind the Indians and make them
careful about calling the north/wind to
do work for them.
. . - n. _
« Wayup In the great north. on the
very edge of the world, where are the
long silences, the dark days and the
pale, strange midnight sun, there is
one thing more precious than anything
else. It is fire.
• For where flre Is. there life is also:
and where flre is not, there Is death.
- All. this the big bear knows as well as
anybody. But the bear has been the
sworn enemy of the people ever since
there were any, and he watches and
waits with his mad, red little .eyes to
see if he can do them a mischief.
Once it .so happened that all tha fire
in the northland was in the care of Just
two people, an old man and his little
son. They knew its value, however, and
were very careful to keep it always be
tween their hands wherever they went.
They slept watch and watch about— ons
always awake an,d watching tha pre
cious flame.
One night when It was the boy's turn
to sleep the old man grew very weary.
He was too old and could no longer
keep wide awake In the sleepy mow.
And at last he. too. slept quita soundly.
Then the great bear, who had traveled
behind them for a long time, saw his
opportunity. He would steal up and
put out the flre. Then all these hated
people would freeze and ' die and tha
north go back to the old 'quiet* times be
fore the people came, * And- that would
rejoice the bear folk mightily. >r '
So the bear slipped up softly. and put
ting out his enormous flat paws scat
tered the flre far over the snow., And
the two men never wakened. *¦ Then the
bear went away, much pleased, and
told the bear folk that the- bad people
were finished forever.
But he had counted without the birds,
who loved the people A much aa the
bears hated them, and who also
watched, but only to help them. And
thus it happened that a little bird who
had followed the men, flying after the
bear, was concealed among the branches
of the firs. As the bear struck out the
flre he caught one last spark upon his
breast, and though It burned deep Into
his breast feathers he kept it and flew
far with it to the people in the south,
where he gave it to them and saved
the land to them to this day. ..
And ever since the spark has been
glowing upon his bosom. And that the
people might remember and be glaoj for
him. they call him the robin redbreast.
HI. .
THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALK.
Yehl turned himself again Into a ra
ven and. flying there, brought away
a brand in his beak for his people.
"While flying bo far the brand burned
down to his beak and he was obliged
to drop it among the rocks and sticks,
which caught and held it, and ever
since when people want flre they rub
the sticks and stones together and the
hidden fire comes forth.
At first Yehl's world was quite dark,
though- the men and women had fire.
There was a sun and a moon and stars,
but they belonged to a great Prince far
off, who had one lovely daughter. Yehl
changed himself into a spruce needle
and got into the drinking cup of the
Princess, so that she swallowed him
without knowing. Afterward a son was
born to her that was Yehl himself.
Thus Vi«> eot to llv* in the house of the
Prince, and when he. was grown strong
enough he changed himself again into
a raven, took the sun, moon and stars
and set them in their 'present places in
the skv. '• •_ /C .J-. ; \j. ¦';<;:¦
At first *ll the earth people were
triehtpnefl at- thin h'rle-ht- HsrWt/un- over
their treads, but soon they began to like
It, and loved Yehl for giving them light.
Have you ever seen the crater of
Mount Edgecombe? It was made by
the sister of the Thunder Bird, whose
name Is so long that people do not care
to sneak of h>r— AhfflshnnaVhmj.
She used to sit on the edge of the
mountain and hold the world ' on her
shoulders. It was so heavy that % the
mountain kept sinking and sinking* un
til the bottom was reached. Then Ah
gishanakhou cleared a space about her
and settled down to keep house there.
The Indians know this,, for when they
see the mountain smoking they know
that Ahgishanakhou Is building 'her. .fire.
Have you seen the*Mulr Glacier? Two
young girls were living near.thls place
chut up in a small hut. TBelr clothes
became so dirty that they went out to
SOME NORTHERN FOLK LORE