WCP3045

[1]

Budapest,

2 May 1894

Dear Sir

You have honored me extremly [sic] by the attention you point to my book on vaccination. Allow me to point out the chief content of it:

1.) Critic of the methods of arguing, used both by the defendors [sic] as by the adversaries of vaccination; consolation of the strong and weak positions on both sides; enumeration of the questions and problem as not yet settled by statistics, viz:

a.) how many fall in smallpox out of 100 vaccinated or not vaccinated people. (Statistics till now show only, how many die out of 100 vaccinated or not vaccinated sick people; on the generally unusefulness [sic] of such statistics se p.6i.)

[2] b.) if the greater mortality of the sick unvaccinated people is caused for want of vaccination, or because the nonvaccinated represent a weaker totality as the vaccinated, contending the sick and poor persons, the children, thus a totality, out of which each disease sweeps of [sic] more lives, then out of the [?]eacher, healthier and stronger totality of the vaccinated.

c.) what is the statistical expression for the undoubtedly existing inoculation of diseases (syphilis, erysipelas, skin diseases etc) by vaccination?

d.) establishment of a final balance between the injuries caused by vaccination and its benefits.

2.) Development of a new method of observation and arguing, which would lead to a solution of the four problems (p.98 — 112.)

This method has been adopted by ten municipalities (800.000.) and 19 hospitals, who furnished me their observations, in total 41.000 ^cases of sickness or of death.

[3]² 3.) The results of these new observations, which were all in favour of vaccination. (See page 113 — 174, and also the essential extract of these observations, compressed in the inclosed [sic] report to the Vienna Hygienical Congress, 1887.)

4.) Finally I undertook to reckon again the statistical proofs of some of the most prominent german antivaccinational authors, going back still to the very source of their assertions (p.176—240). I am sorry to say, that I found these assertions — I may say without exception! — based on error, and even on falsification! This latter fact is proofed especially for the famous smallpox = statistics of the Austrian States railway (D^r Keller¹). This strongest document of the antivaccinators which has been translated also in English by Milnes² ("The mitigation theory of vaccination", London, 1886) — I could represent as a bare falsification (see page 78). I produced the documents and the correspondances [sic] on this subject to the IX Inter [4] national Medical Congress, Washington, 1887, and it was there stated in an official way, that these statistics are falsificated, (see page 22i of the Proceeedings — I. Volume — of the mentioned Congress).

I should feel extremely flattered, if you would find after the report of your german reading friend, that I went on with the best faith, that I was equally disposed to let me convince by one side or by the other, but that the facts have been in favor of vaccination.

I am, dear Sir, most respectfully | Your obedient servant | Joseph Köirösi [signature]

Director of Municipal Statistics