As a high-school freshman in Buffalo, Clara Matynka studied science; we have seen some of her notes here and also here. The infectious disease portion of her class notes includes mention of viruses and viral disease.
Smallpox disease was yet extant in the US in the 1940s, even though vaccination with vaccinia virus vaccine had been available since the mid-19th century.
It was not until the early 1970s that routine vaccination of schoolchildren was discontinued, when the rate of natural disease had, through vaccination over time, been driven lower than the rate of serious side effects to vaccinia virus vaccine.
It was not until 1979 that smallpox virus was eradicated from nature.
I wonder if in school they read the Kipling story, The Tomb of his Ancestors, in which the British officer in India is sent to the far-off wildest tribe to enforce the vaccination program. He succeeds by means of diplomacy, sales pitch, and by - well, no, I won't spoil the surprise.
"Catch that girl and bring her to me. . . She will not come? Then she shall be shamed by her little brother, a fat boy, a bold boy. He puts out his arm like a soldier. Look! He does not flinch at the blood. Some day he shall be in my regiment. And now, mother of many, we will lightly touch thee, for Smallpox has been before us here. It is a true thing, indeed, that this charm breaks the power of Mata. There will be no more pitted faces among the Satpuras, and so ye can ask many cows for each maid to be wed."
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| Click to enlarge. "Causes of Disease" and "Prevention and Control of Epidemics" |
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| "Viruses; germs too small to be filtered or seen thru a microscope." "1. Smallpox (contact) 2. Infantile paralysis." |
Smallpox disease was yet extant in the US in the 1940s, even though vaccination with vaccinia virus vaccine had been available since the mid-19th century.
It was not until the early 1970s that routine vaccination of schoolchildren was discontinued, when the rate of natural disease had, through vaccination over time, been driven lower than the rate of serious side effects to vaccinia virus vaccine.
It was not until 1979 that smallpox virus was eradicated from nature.
I was in third grade, about 9 years old, when I was vaccinated. Don't know about Mom. At any rate, her class notes include the Health Department flyer describing aftercare following vaccination.
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| Clean, dry, exposed to air, not scratched. Supposedly it takes 2 or 3 weeks to progress through the stages of red spot, blister, drainage, and scab. I remember none of that from my own vaccination; perhaps the vaccine was more attenuated by the 1960s. |
I wonder if in school they read the Kipling story, The Tomb of his Ancestors, in which the British officer in India is sent to the far-off wildest tribe to enforce the vaccination program. He succeeds by means of diplomacy, sales pitch, and by - well, no, I won't spoil the surprise.
"Catch that girl and bring her to me. . . She will not come? Then she shall be shamed by her little brother, a fat boy, a bold boy. He puts out his arm like a soldier. Look! He does not flinch at the blood. Some day he shall be in my regiment. And now, mother of many, we will lightly touch thee, for Smallpox has been before us here. It is a true thing, indeed, that this charm breaks the power of Mata. There will be no more pitted faces among the Satpuras, and so ye can ask many cows for each maid to be wed."
The notes include as well this flyer, concerning prevention of the spread of communicable diseases generally. The danger was more than of colds or influenza. There was no polio vaccine, or diphtheria vaccine, until the 1950s.
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| Notice how this alert, to be taken home to students' families, consisted of words and sentences, which had to be read, and since they were well-written, could be understood. Nobody had to stare at ugly cartoons and try to guess what they meant. |
Sorry to have interrupted blogging recently. I have a new computer now.
Julie
