I was born in 1944.

At 2 months of age, I came down with chickenpox, which my older brother had brought home from school. I spent days in an oxygen tent and was fed with subcutaneous shots.

At 5 years of age, I fell into the pond while playing with a raft. I cried all the way home because I was convinced that I would get polio from getting my feet wet. I knew polio was bad.

In third grade, I stayed home for two weeks with measles. My siblings all got gamma globulin shots and didn’t get ill. I was mad.

In fourth grade, I remember Sue S. stopped coming to school one day. The rumor was that she had polio and was paralyzed. We were all sad. She never came back.

People used to take their child for purposeful exposure to chickenpox to “get it out of the way.” Some of those children got pneumonia or inflammation of their brains.

Vaccines have totally changed the world in my 75 years. Appropriate usage of vaccines in all children except those who shouldn’t get them for medical reasons is a “no-brainer.” It just makes sense and improves the lives of children.

“Big Pharma” has nothing to do with this. Any risks of the vaccines are far outweighed by the benefits.

Vote “no” on 1.

Allen F. Browne, M.D., FAAP, FACS, DABOM

Falmouth