Cause of sore arms
The usual cause of a bad arm is improper vaccination; this means the lack of proper precautions on the part of the person who does the vaccinating. Years ago, before vaccination was performed with the great care which is given it to-day, bad arms could not be prevented; but to-day the cause of the trouble is not the vaccine, but the vaccinator. Sometimes a father thinks he will save a dollar by vaccinating his child himself, and he is likely to injure the child by attempting to vaccinate him without taking antiseptic precautions. The same surgical preparations must be made for a vaccination as for an operation. If this is not done, a bad arm will result, not because of the vaccination, but because of the negligence of the vaccinator.
Never allow any person, doctor or otherwise, to vaccinate you until the skin surface has been well washed with soap and water, rinsed clean, and wiped off with alcohol. See that the vaccine is fresh and has been properly kept. When it begins to "take," keep the spot absolutely clean and covered with a clean cloth, renewed daily. Never scratch or rub it. These precautions will prevent the dreaded soreness of the arm.
How people themselves infect their arms with pus germs
The person operated on is himself often responsible for the bad arm. A careful doctor will put a dressing on the arm, after he has supplied the vaccine, and will tell you to let that dressing alone, for he wishes to take it off himself. About the third or fourth day after the vaccination, your arm begins to itch. Possibly you have forgotten what the doctor told you; at any rate, you pay no attention to directions and take the dressing off to scratch the arm. When you scratch the wound, you introduce pus germs into it, and you have no reason to expect anything but a sore arm. In this case, it is not the fault of the vaccinator or of the vaccination; it is your own fault. Never touch a vaccination sore; in fact, it is dangerous to touch any sore.
Questions. 1. How is a successful vaccination determined? 2. What are some pretended vaccinations? 3. Mention some of the things that cause bad arms after vaccination.
Remember. 1. A successful vaccination causes a sore identical with the sores that result from smallpox. 2. A fly blister is not a vaccination in any sense of the word. 3. A very sore arm does not result from a properly performed vaccination, but from carelessness on the part of the vaccinator or the person vaccinated.