The Present Method of Inoculating for the Small-Pox: To which are added, some experiments, instituted with a view to discover the effects of a similar treatment in the natural small-poxDimsdale, Thomas
History
The Present Method of Inoculating for the Small-Pox: To which are added, some experiments, instituted with a view to discover the effects of a similar treatment in the natural small-pox
Dimsdale, Thomas
Smallpox -- Vaccination -- Early works to 1800
What I distinguish by the name of rash, were pimples much resembling
the confluent pocks, and rising above the skin; the petechial spots
were interspersed, and even with the skin; some of these were small
like flea-bites, others were near as large as a silver penny; some
were of a very dark purple, and others of a livid colour. I observed
them carefully, assisted by a good convex glass, and found the
appearances singular and alarming. But as the fever was not high in
proportion to such appearances, the head and back free from pain, and
no great weakness attended, the event seemed to be the less doubtful.
The patient drank a bason of white wine whey at going to bed, and I
found him pretty well in the morning: the erysipelas began to be less
fiery, and put on a darker hue; a few large distinct pustules of real
small-pox soon discovered themselves, and from this time all went on
very well; the arms indeed were of a livid colour for some time, but
gave the patient no pain or uneasiness, so that he passed through the
whole process perfectly well in every other respect.
CASE XIV.
A healthy young woman 20 years of age, after having taken two of the
preparatory powders, had a slight fever, accompanied with sickness at
stomach, which were followed by an erysipelatous rash; on this account
inoculation was postponed four days, when the rash was totally gone.
On the 7th day from the inoculation she began to have the eruptive
symptoms, which were accompanied with more fever and pain in the head
and back than is usual, also very great sickness and vomiting; these
were succeeded by an universal rash, of the same kind as had happened
before; in this situation she was ordered to keep her room, and the
following medicine was directed:
Take compound powder of crabs claws, one scruple; emetic tartar,
one grain.
This operated moderately by vomit, discharging some bile, and also
twice by stool. The stomach was much relieved, but the rash remained,
and put on so much the appearance of a confluent eruption, that I could
scarce be satisfied it was not so, though I had seen in the same
person but a few days before a smaller degree of the same rash. What
made the case more doubtful was, that the fever still remained pretty
high; and her head and back were not much relieved by this eruption. In
this situation I did not think it adviseable to expose the patient to
the open air, but directed only a saline mixture, with compound powder
of crabs claws, and that she should keep her room, but not her bed.
On the 10th a few distinct pustules were to be distinguished, the rash
began to look fainter, and the whole terminated in a very favourable
distinct eruption, without any particular accident: the skin peeled off
universally, as is not uncommon after a rash.
CASE XV.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The Present Method of Inoculating for the Small-Pox: To which are added, some experiments, instituted with a view to discover the effects of a similar treatment in the natural small-pox — John Shaqi
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