Dr. Carlo Ruata, M.D
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Vaccine
critics
[1901] AN ITALIAN INDICTMENT OF VACCINATION BY CARLO RUATA, M.D.,
Quotes
"Whereas the aim of therapeutics is to cure sickness in our bodies, and that of
hygiene to maintain them in health by a salubrious environment, vaccination
undertakes to modify our robust, healthy bodies in order to adapt them to an
insalubrious environment. It belongs neither to therapeutics, nor to hygiene ;
it belongs to that fatal, fanciful, spurious science which, rejecting the
teachings of experience, rests on dogma and creed, which in other departments
of sociology have produced as many evils as vaccination has produced in
medicine. Vaccination is a monstrosity, the misbegotten offspring of error and
ignorance ; and, being such, it should have no place either in hygiene or
medicine." (Public address given in November,
1898, at the opening of the session of the University of Perugia,
Italy, at which he is Professor of Materia Medica) ---Dr. Carlo Ruata, M.D
[Source: Chapter 103 LEICESTER: SANITATION versus VACCINATION BY J.T. BIGGS J.P.]
Dr. Carlo Ruata, M.D., in a very able and exhaustive public address given in November, 1898, at the opening of the session of the University of Perugia, Italy, at which he is Professor of Materia Medica, realises the above fact, and thus summarises the indictment against vaccination :—
"Whereas the aim of therapeutics is to cure sickness in our bodies, and that of hygiene to maintain them in health by a salubrious environment, vaccination undertakes to modify our robust, healthy bodies in order to adapt them to an insalubrious environment. It belongs neither to therapeutics, nor to hygiene ; it belongs to that fatal, fanciful, spurious science which, rejecting the teachings of experience, rests on dogma and creed, which in other departments of sociology have produced as many evils as vaccination has produced in medicine. Vaccination is a monstrosity, the misbegotten offspring of error and ignorance ; and, being such, it should have no place either in hygiene or medicine."
Another strong argument against vaccination is supplied in a letter written by Professor Ruata, on 10th Mav, 1899, wherein he says :—
"There is another consideration which has a certain relation with vaccination and small-pox in the Italian Army. Our young men are obliged, by law, to enter the army at the age of twenty, so that the greatest part of them pay this tribute to the State. The consequence is that, after the age of twenty years, men are by far better vaccinated than women, and after the age of twenty small-pox should kill less men than women. I wished to ascertain if this was true, and here are the figures representing the numbers of deaths from small-pox in men and in women before and after the age of twenty during our great epidemical years, 1887-88-89 :—
1887.
1888.
1889.
Total.
Deaths.
Men. Women. Men. Women. Men. Women.
Men. Women.
Under Twenty
5,997 5,983 7,349 7,353
5,020
5,031
18,972 18,908
Over Twenty
2,459
1,810 1,990 1,418
1,290
803
5,745 4,091
All the following years until the last known (1897) give the same results."
Professor Ruata has just suffered prosecution by the medical profession of Italy for the free and public expression of his views against vaccination and the laws enforcing it. Professor Ruata himself made a closely-reasoned and eloquent historical defence, upholding and emphasising all he had ever said or written against vaccination, and he obtained a triumphant and complete verdict of acquittal. The day will come when his speech will be regarded as a masterpiece in favour of sanitation and hygiene, as opposed to vaccination. (See "Vaccination Inquirer," December, 1912, and January, 1913.)