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those who are. On these two points we venture to offer
some remarks which have occurred to us in the discharge
of our duties.
First, that some persons remain unvaccinated arises
from the fact that some object to vaccination; and that
others neglect it out of sheer carelessness. Both of these
causes will be diminished by the spread of sound information.
The objections are in substance these two; that the
protection afforded by vaccination is imperfect; and that
itself is liable to produce certain evil consequences. Each
of these objections is to a certain degree founded in fact;
it is absurd to deny this, and the frank admission is,
we humbly conceive, far better adapted to promote
universal vaccination, than a dogmatic and disingenuous
denial of them.
For, after all, these objections amount to very little.
As for the imperfection of the protection given, it can
only be pretended that vaccine, being a very mild form of
small-pox, gives as much protection as an attack of that
disease would give in its severest form; but it is well
known, that one attack of small-pox is not an absolute
protection against a second; we cannot, therefore, expect
vaccination to be. Some persons have so great a disposition
to take small-pox, that nothing protects them absolutely
; but vaccination protects most persons; and it
is unreasonable to object to a good thing, that is not
perfect, since nothing human can be perfect.
In the next place, it is quite true that children occasionally
suffer from skin eruptions after vaccination; and
that vaccination, like any other trifling wound, may be,
under certain conditions, followed by severe or fatal inflammation.
But what then? These ill consequences