Thirteen years ago smallpox visited Cleveland. Twelve hundred and
forty-eight cases were reported. There were 30 cases of black
smallpox. Many of the patients were blinded or disfigured for life;
224 died. We find in the annual report of the Board of Health for that
year: "It was the smallpox we read about, that terrible scourge which
struck terror into the former generations. Its contagious nature
showed itself everywhere. One case, if not promptly reported to the
health office and removed to the hospital, would invariably infect the
whole neighborhood. Its severity manifested itself even in the milder
cases, while confluent cases, almost without exception, developed
hemorrhages during the pustular state.... At the Mayor's request, a
meeting of physicians was held ... to consider the smallpox
situation.... Vaccination was recommended on all sides, but the
people were not prone to get vaccinated.... Wholesale vaccination was
finally effected by the action of the School Council and the help of
the Chamber of Commerce. The School Council amended the vaccination
clause, making vaccination a conditio sine qua non for attending
school and giving the health officer the whole control of the matter.
Without this amendment the schools could not have opened last fall.
The situation was too critical. With it, the opening of the schools
helped greatly to exterminate smallpox. Every school, public and
private, was put in the charge of a physician.... The doctors worked
with a will, and if anything was done thoroughly and conscientiously
in this city, it was the vaccination of all teachers and pupils last
fall.... Through the influence of the Chamber of Commerce the
employers prevailed on their employees to get vaccinated. Also to have
everyone of their family vaccinated. The consequence was that the
people got vaccinated by tens of thousands. Men who formerly spurned
the vaccinator from their door came now to his office.... The city
paid for 195,000 vaccinations."
In 1910 smallpox again broke out, this time in the southeastern part
of the city, and threatened to spread over the entire community. With
vivid memories of earlier horrors, the disease was met at the outset
with vigorous measures. It was discovered that in spite of the
experience of the Board of Education eight years before, and without
regard to the rule which provided that "No teacher or pupil shall
attend any school without furnishing satisfactory certificate that he
or she has been successfully vaccinated or otherwise protected from
smallpox," unvaccinated children had been admitted to the public
schools literally by thousands. By the time that 63 cases of smallpox
had been reported the Board of Health again took matters into its own
hands, entered the schools, and vaccinated 55,000 school children.
Equally vigorous measures were taken among adults and the epidemic was
checked.
Every year since 1910 there have been cases of smallpox in Cleveland.
The Board of Health no longer relies upon the Board of Education to
protect the lives of the community against the scourge. Where 70,000
children are gathered together daily for hours at a stretch, the
possibilities of spreading disease throughout the city at large
constitute a grave menace. Therefore, immediately upon the report of a
case of smallpox, the Board of Health officials exercise their right
of entry into the schools of that district, and either vaccinate or
exclude from attendance every child who could himself become a
carrier of the disease. During the present year over 1,400 children
were vaccinated in this way.
That vaccination prevents smallpox no intelligent person acquainted
with the facts can doubt. An overwhelming mass of incontrovertible
evidence can be found in every medical library. The mortality
statistics of different countries tell the same story. A single
example shows the general experience: In seven provinces of the
Philippine Islands there were 6,000 deaths annually from smallpox
alone. In his 1906 report, Dr. Victor G. Heiser, Director of Health in
the Islands, describes how drastic measures were taken to stamp out
the disease. Under his direction practically three million one hundred
thousand persons were vaccinated. The following year, instead of 6,000
deaths from smallpox, there was not one.
For 13 years the Board of Education has had upon its books a rule
requiring vaccination as a prerequisite to admission to the schools.
That rule has never been adequately enforced. In July, 1914, City
Ordinance 32846-B was passed, one section of which reads: "No
superintendent, principal, or teacher of any public, parochial,
private school, or other institution, nor any parent, guardian, or
other person, shall permit any child not having been successfully
vaccinated, nor having had smallpox, to attend school." Although
passed a year ago, that ordinance has not yet been enforced. Exact
figures cannot be secured, but it is probable that there are in the
Cleveland schools today more than 50,000 unvaccinated children. For
each of these the superintendent, principal, teacher, and parent may
be held liable to a $200 fine, 60 days imprisonment, or both.