Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 94, 23 April 1894 — Compulsory Vaccination. [ARTICLE]

Compulsory Vaccination.

The govemment bas seen fit to enforce the law that provides for I compu!sory vaccination of schoo! cbildren. That law was made by i a Legislature, composed of mee ’ who in no way were competent to : judge of tbe possible effects of such «n Act The Hawaiians j dre«d vaccination. That may be throogh ignorance or misrepresentation, but a large number of foreigners refa.se to comply with j | the law becanse they ate convinc- ! ed that the arm-to-arm vaccination is opening fearful chances for inocutation of lep»rosv. The virus so fa.r imj>orted here has not proven a snccess and the results have been far from satisfactory. We have carefully btudied the subject and we ean quote the best I medical authorities in the world l in backing the opinion that vaccination iu a countiy where leprogy is so prevalent as here is more than dangerous, yes itisau outrage. It is hardly for a daily i paper like the Holomia to enter ! into an exhaustive discnssion on this subject or to produce the Iengthy observations of men like Drs. Arning, Mouritz, Hansen, i Hillis, Bakewell. Unna, Gardnier and Sir Randal M:irtin. But we believe that the views of most of these prominent men, who have mado tho subject of leprosy and ! vaccination thoir speciality, ean | be embodied in the folIowing extract from a letter written bv Dr. . i Cha*’les E. Taylor, the ofiicial 1 physiciau at St. Thomas of the Danish West Jndies, a mau who.se ability, inedical training and careful investigations j»lace a great authority on his opinion. Dr. Tavlor writes (in 1891): I have read the report of the evidence given before the Royal Commission on vaccination in 1 Londou with mueh interest, and with regard to ihe eonneeiion l>etween vaccination and leprosy, j an experience in these islands (West Indies) of over twentv years euables rae to eonlinn the l truth of this terrible indictment I Ou moro than oue oeeaaion e ises 1 have eome before my uot:ce of | leprosy in families whieh could 1 only havebeen iuocnlated with 1 the vaccine virns, none of the famiiy having, previonsly to vac- I einaiion, beeu afHicted with this i : malady The possibility \ of spread:ng such a dire i by mcans o? the lancet is ou» too ! fgrave to be longer disregarded, j uud, it is needless to say a seri- ■ ous mattor for theso isl.mds, the most lovoly in tho world, where children whose pareuts may be the most healthy, are liahle to lej>rosy through ana to-arm cotnpalsory vaccination. May 1 ; veuture to hope that the Engiish Press will have the humauity, aud courage to speak out, and eompel eolonial authorities to withdraw the vaccinations enactments, whieh on thcse gronnds Ialone are so dangerous to our- • selves aud our families. The law is of course, on our i statues and we believe that a law • should be enforced as long as it is there. But we do believe that the government woukl do a great deal bstter if would either repeal or at least amend that law Make vacciniation optional and not compulsory. Even ifit is admitted that vaccination is a pre ventive against !small pox, is it not better for the country and for the people to run the risk of be- ! ing infectedby thatdiseasethanby spreading aadc.)ntracting leprosy through ofilcial inoculation by vaccination ! Witb us many in- j j telligeut and seusible people ! Jecline emphatically to allow 1 children under their care to be submitted to the compnIsorv arm-to-arm vaccination. Better for the “kids” to go without ed I ucation (as given in our puhlie , schools) tban receiving the : smattering of kuow ledge obtain-; able tbere, — and lepros\-.