Certainly. I consider it to be one of the greatest blessings ever conferred upon mankind. Small-pox, before vaccination was adopted, ravaged the country like a plague, and carried off thousands annually; and those who did escape with their lives were frequently made loathsome and disgusting objects by it. Even inoculation (which is cutting for the small-pox) was attended with danger, more especially to the unprotected--as it caused the disease to spread like wildfire, and thus it carried off immense numbers. Vaccination is one, and an important cause of our increasing population; small-pox, in olden times, decimated the country. 46. _But vaccination does not always protect a child from, small-pox_? I grant you that it does not _always_ protect him, _neither does inoculation_; but when he is vaccinated, if he take the infection, he is seldom pitted, and very rarely dies, and the disease assumes a comparatively mild form. There are a few, very few fatal cases recorded after vaccination, and these may be considered as only exceptions to the general rule; and, possibly, some of these may be traced to the arm, when the child was vaccinated, not having taken proper effect. If children, and adults were _re-vaccinated_,--say every seven years after the first vaccination,--depend upon it, even these rare cases would not occur, and in a short time small-pox would be known only by name. 47. _Do you consider it, then, the imperative duty of a mother, in every case, to have, after the lapse of every seven years, her children re-vaccinated_? I decidedly do: it would be an excellent plan for _every_ person, once every seven years to be re-vaccinated, and even oftener, if small-pox be rife in the neighbourhood. Vaccination, however frequently performed, can never do the slightest harm, and might do inestimable good. Small-pox is both a pest and a disgrace, and ought to be constantly fought and battled with, until it be banished (which it may readily be) the kingdom. I say that small-pox is a pest; it is worse than the plague, for if not kept in subjection, it is more general--sparing neither young nor old, rich nor poor, and commits greater ravages than the plague ever did. Small-pox is a disgrace: it is a disgrace to any civilised land, as there is no necessity for its presence, if cow-pox were properly and frequently performed, small-pox would be unknown. Cow-pox is a weapon to conquer small-pox and to drive it ignominiously from the field.