Vaccination and the causes of the prevalence of small-pox in New York in 1853-4.

  • Hutchison, Joseph C. (Joseph Chrisman), 1822-1887.
Date:
[1854]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Vaccination and the causes of the prevalence of small-pox in New York in 1853-4. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    1/22
    <v\x> ,(r VAC CINAT ION AX-D THE Causes tf tlje f ntaltue of &maU-f«in fcto fork IN 1853-4, The subject of the present article is replete with interest to the medical inquirer, and of vast importance to the well- being of society. Its importance is at once manifest, when the startling announcement is made, that for the year ending March 1st, 1854, nine hundred and twenty-nine deaths occurred in the city of New-York, from a disease that is confessedly more under the control of man than any other of equal gravity; five hundred and fifty-two of which occurred during the last third of the year.* It is therefore a question for serious investigation, which I hope to conduct in a spirit of candor, and with an earnest desire to arrive at truth, What are the causes that have operated to produce the recent extensive prevalence of small-pox in our midst ? Ii this can be satisfactorily determined, we may be enabled, to some extent at least, by removing the source, to obviate the evil in future. That it is not due to the want of the anti- variolous power claimed for vaccination, we have the most indubitable evidence, for there is no subject in the vast range of medical investigation supported by a larger cloud of evidence than the protective value of Jenner's discovery. * These statistics have been obtained through the courtesy of Dr. Hyatt, from the records at the City Inspector's Office, which are not yet published for the last year. The number of deaths stated includes those from varioloid.