No Fear, Old-timey Immunization

In the excellent, semi-autobiographical children's book by John D. Fitzgerald set in the late 1800's entitled The Great Brain, there is a marvelous scene where John's mother discovers that the older brother, Sweyn, has contracted measles.  Here's how it goes:

"Sweyn has got the measles," Tom said sadly...you know what that means, J.D."
"Maybe we can sneak out and play before Mamma puts us in bed," I suggested.   

Mamma must have guessed what I had in mind because she opened the door leading to her bedroom [where Sweyn had been being inspected by Mamma and the Doctor].    

She caught Tom red-handed with the water glass in his hand [he'd been using it to listen through the door].   

"I suspected as much," she said.  "You boys know what to do." 

Tom shook his head slowly. "It seems silly for J.D. and me to get the measles just because Sweyn got them," he said. "Maybe J.D. and I are immune to the measles." 

"If you're immune," Mamma said, "we will soon find out."   

There was nothing to do but obey.  Tom and I went upstairs to the bedroom we shared.  We undressed and put on our nightshirts and bathrobes.  We dutifully marched down to Mamma's bedroom.  Mamma and Aunt Bertha had hung blankets over the windows to make the room dark.  The room had to be dark when you had the measles because the light hurt your eyes.  Tom and I groped our way to bed and crawled in with Sweyn.  We had to stay in bed with Sweyn until we were both good and infected with measles."  

Later when Dr. LeRoy came to the house and pronounced Tom and me good and infected by Sweyn, Mamma let us move back up to our bedroom." 

We need to be exposed to these viruses.  We don't live in fear.  Here's some more old-time, common sense about group immunity:  Dr. Knut M. Wittkowski