70 YEARS AGO: Doctor Accidently Vaccinates Himself

Feb. 3, 1955, Ozark County Times: Dr. Hoerman is working with only his right hand these days, and he isn’t too proud of that little sore showing up at the base of his left thumb.

Asked about it, he told us how he was demonstrating to a new nurse at the Dora immunization clinic last Friday how to use the needle in vaccinating students of that school for small pox. 

Dr. Hoerman took the needle and proceeded to demonstrate on the skin of the fleshy part of his left thumb. Just stick the point slightly into the dead skin and lift up several times. Painless as smelling a rose. The good doctor then realized that the needle had just been used to vaccinate another, and he wiped his hand with disinfectant, but he evidently demonstrated too well. He is now displaying a typical small pox vaccination on his hand. 

Mrs. Artie Wallace suffered the same embarrassment last September when she was assisting with the Gainesville immunization clinic. She vaccinated herself on the left ring finger while handling the vaccine. Dr. Hoerman explains that the cause of the two sores were entirely different. Mrs. Wallace’s sore was cause by accident. His sore by... and here was uttered unprintable words.