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
The next morning, being the 12th, the attending nurse told me that he
had passed a very restless night, with much complaint of pain in his
head and back; and I found him very uneasy, with great heat, a quick
pulse, and very full of a small sort of small-pox indisputably.
These complaints coming on at this unusual time made me apprehensive of
the consequences. I gave him directly calom. gr. iij. tart. emet. gr.
1/8, and advised him to get up and go into the air, but not to fatigue
himself too much. I also directed that after two hours he should take
a purging draught. [It is to be observed that he had had stools every
day regularly; and remaining perfectly well, had taken no medicine for
some time.] I called on him again about two, and found him walking
about the house, when he said he was better, for that the physick had
worked him five times very sufficiently, and each time he had been
abroad to the privy, though it rained pretty smartly.
I saw him again in the evening, and then he made but little complaint
of pain in either head or back; but was almost incessantly seized with
a short tickling cough, and complained of his throat being sore. He
then took another pill of the same kind as that in the morning.
Early the next day, the 13th, the nurse informed me that he had
been very restless the whole night; had put on his cloaths and came
down stairs, but was now gone into bed again, in hopes of getting a
little rest. On going into his room I found him almost dressed again,
complaining that he had an almost constant irritation in the throat,
and finding it impossible to get any sleep, was therefore coming down
stairs. I enjoined him, however, to keep within doors.
About one I saw him again; he had had two stools, and was better. His
cough remained somewhat troublesome, and his throat grew sore.
In the evening I found him in good spirits, with a regular quiet pulse,
and he had one more purging stool. I ordered another pill of the same
kind to be taken at going to bed, and a bason of small white wine whey
after it; also an oily mixture to be taken occasionally, to relieve his
cough and the tickling sensation in the throat.
The 14th in the morning he had some comfortable rest, and felt himself
refreshed; his cough had been much better, so that he had taken but
once of the oily mixture. This day he had three stools from his pill;
and the small-pox had advanced in an unexpectedly kind manner.
From this time nothing material happened; the cough left him, and his
throat gave him no trouble.
The pustules filled with good matter in a shorter time than I ever saw
such a number of so small a sort, and many were brown on the 17th day,
being the 7th from the first appearance.
On the 19th he took a purge, and was perfectly well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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