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13
Behind this opposition to vaccination and inoculation are the anti.
vivisectionist societies who apparently believe that while it is permissible
to eat animals, use their skins, flesh and bones for trade purposes,
or use living animals in the many various ways in which they
are now utilised for the benefit of mankind, there is yet one method of
using animals which should be anathema and that is in the prevention
of disease.
There is an interesting story by O. Henry called "The Theory
and The Hound,'' in which an over.fondness for dogs is the distinguishing
characteristic of a 'wanted' man, and the sheriff refers to
the arrested murderer as "Hound.lover and Woman Killer," and goes
on to say "I never yet saw a man that was over.fond of horses and
dogs but what was cruel to women." The opposition to the use of
animals for the prevention and detection of disease inclines one to the
belief that guinea.pigs, dogs, horses and rabbits are valued more
highly than children, who are the principal sufferers from infectious
disease, by these persons who are so "over.fond" of animals.
One might also add in passing that it is a fairly futile sort of
affection which is solely concerned with opposing the use of animals
for the prevention of disease and that does not care what happens to
animals otherwise, even what diseases animals suffer from, as research
is directed also to the alleviation of animal as well as human
suffering. The dreadful disease Diphtheria every year kills thousands
of persons, generally children, and to prevent this annual horror
inoculation against the disease is now being carried on in most parts
of the globe, but some unfortunate accidents have resulted in death
in some half.dozen instances, the most disastrous being the Bundaberg,
Queensland, incident, when 18 children were injected with contaminated
mixture and 12 died. These 12 deaths, due to an appalling
accident, in the opinion of these people, judging from recent publications,
far outweigh the thousands of annual deaths from Diphtheria,
and in spite of the fact that inoculation against Diphtheria has been
proved to be harmless, excluding' the few cases of accident and faulty
technique, because animals are used in the preparation of the serum—
therefore, in spite of all evidence, the process must according to these
people necessarily be harmful. For the same reason not only is immunisation
attacked, but also the use of anti.toxin for treatment of
the sufferers, in spite of the overwhelming evidence of its value. Antitoxin
is in use in every Fever Hospital in the country, it is essential for
the successful treatment of Diphtheria, and a supply must be kept by
Public Health Authorities for issue to Medical Practitioners for use in
emergencies and to prevent delay.
To such an extent has this propaganda developed that it is even
apparently directed against the hospitals in their work of the alleviation
of suffering and the cure of disease, as Sir Bernard Spilsbury
points out in a letter to The Times.