Printed in “News Notes”
ACCORDING to one correspondent, the success of the Liberal party in England is apt to be the forerunner of a smallpox epidemic. In the Liberal party the anti-vaccinationists are particularly strong, and there is good reason to expect that with this party in power, compulsory vaccination laws will be abolished.
Printed in “News Notes”
THE Minnesota State Board of Health has broken new ground in passing the resolution not to enforce quarantine against smallpox after Jan. 1, 1908. The reason for the resolution appears to be that many persons, trusting to quarantine regulations, neglect or refuse to be vaccinated, and the health officers believe that with universal vaccination and no quarantine there would be practically no smallpox, whereas quarantine succeeds but poorly in repressing the disease. It is said that where vaccination is universal, as in Prussia, even the milder type of varioloid is unknown. The resolution does not necessarily contemplate the abolition of placards, yellow flags, and warning notices. All it provides is that personal liberty shall not be restricted. This resolution has probably resulted from the activity of the anti-vaccinationists who seem to fear smallpox less than they do the milder disease, vaccinia.
Printed in “News Notes”
THE anti-vaccination bill, introduced into the California Legislature, has been defeated. At the last session a similar bill (if I remember) passed both houses, and was vetoed by the governor, Dr. Pardee. The anti-vaccinationists hoped that Dr. Pardee’s retirement from office would remove all obstacles to the passage of the bill; but it seems that the members of the legislature have meantime been learning a few things.
Printed in “News Notes”
THE anti-vaccinationists made a vigorous fight in Pennsylvania in favor of the anti-vaccination bills. Lectures were given in which stereopticon views were shown of babies who are said to have died as a result of vaccination. Against the bills, Health Commissioner Dixon called attention to the fact that by means of vaccination smallpox is practically wiped out of Germany, and related from his own experience a number of examples showing how readily smallpox spreads among the unvaccinated. Other physicians gave the results of thousands of cases treated in the hospitals, showing that vaccination does protect against smallpox.
Link to Publication
https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/LH/LH19070501-V22-05.pdf