"I visited a patient with the confluent smallpox and charged a
lancet with some of the matter. Two days afterwards I was desired
to inoculate a woman and four children with the cow-pox, and I
inadvertently took the vaccine matter on the same lancet which
was before charged with that of smallpox. In three days I
discovered the mistake, and fully expected that my five patients
would be infected with smallpox; but I was agreeably surprised to
find the disease to be genuine cow-pox, which proceeded without
deviating in any particular from my former cases. I afterwards
inoculated these patients with variolous matter, but all of them
resisted its action.
"I omitted mentioning another great advantage that now occurs to
me in the inoculated cow-pox; I mean, the safety with which
pregnant women may have the disease communicated to them. I have
inoculated a great number of females in that situation, and never
observed their cases to differ in any respect from those of my
other patients. Indeed, the disease is so mild that it seems as
if it might at all times be communicated with the most perfect
safety."
I shall here take the opportunity of thanking Dr. Marshall and
those other gentlemen who have obligingly presented me with the
result of their inoculations; but, as they all agree in the same
point as that given in the above communication, namely, the
security of the patient from the effects of the smallpox after
the cow-pox, their perusal, I presume, would afford us no
satisfaction that has not been amply given already. Particular
occurrences I shall, of course, detail. Some of my correspondents
have mentioned the appearance of smallpox-like eruptions at the
commencement of their inoculations; but in these cases the matter
was derived from the original stock at the Smallpox Hospital.
I have myself inoculated a very considerable number from the
matter produced by Dr. Marshall's patients, originating in the
London cow, without observing pustules of any kind, and have
dispersed it among others who have used it with a similar effect.
From this source Mr. H. Jenner informs me he has inoculated above
an hundred patients without observing eruptions. Whether the
nature of the virus will undergo any change from being farther
removed from its original source in passing successively from one
person to another time alone can determine. That which I am now
employing has been in use near eight months, and not the least
change is perceptible in its mode of action either locally or
constitutionally. There is, therefore, every reason to expect
that its effects will remain unaltered and that we shall not be
under the necessity of seeking fresh supplies from the cow.
The following observations were obligingly sent me by Mr. Tierny,
Assistant Surgeon to the South Gloucester Regiment of Militia, to
whom I am indebted for a former report on this subject:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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