Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1910 — TOO MUCH SMALL-POX. [ARTICLE]

TOO MUCH SMALL-POX.

A Public Scandal That Pest Should Be so Prevalent. The prevalence of small-pox fn this country has been for some time the subject of critical comment on the part of physicians, and? medical publications have devoted a great deal of space to its discussion. The number of cases of small-pox reported to the surgeon general of the public health and marine hospital service during 1908 by the local and State health officers of the various States was 35,174. In Minnesota 7,031 cases occurred, giving a case rate per 1,000.000 population of 3,397. In Kansas there Were 3,458 cases, with a case rate per 1,000,000 of 2,096, and Montana had 732 cases and a case rate per 1.000,000 population of 2.339. The record is by no means accurate, owing to the difficulty in obtaining pxccise information. Competent authorities such as John W. Trask, of the United States public health and marine hospital service, estimate that in 1908 there were probably more, than 70,000 cases of small-pox. Small-pox was eradicated from the German army by systematic vaccination. It may be said, and with a considerable degree of truth, that means possible in an army are not available in an ordinary community. But smallpox has been eradicated, to all intents and purposes, from some of our States, Perhaps the most convincing argument in recent times in favor of vaccination has been supplied in the Philippines. The director of health in the Philippines, in his annual report for the fiscal year 1907. says: "During the year there has bexn unquestionably less small-pox in the Philippines than has been the case for a great many years previous.- Jn ,the Provinces of Cavite. Batangas. Cebu, Bataan, La Union, Rizal and La Laguna, where heretofore there have been more than 6,000 deaths annually from this one cause alone, it is most satisfactory to report that since the completion of the vaccination in the aforesaid provinces, more than a year ago. not a single death from smail-pox has been reported.”