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
Two days before his intended journey I found him in the morning sitting
by the fire, with his hand upon his head. Upon inquiring the reason, he
answered, My head feels very queer to-day: a person in company added,
that he had made too free with mutton the day before: but this he
denied. He did not however seem much indisposed; he had taken a purge,
and I expected he would be relieved by its operation.
Next morning he told me he had had a good night’s sleep, and was
perfectly well; nevertheless, two hours after he fell down suddenly in
a fit, and senseless. In this condition I found him about six in the
evening, and so he continued till the night of the following day, when
he expired, perfectly apoplectic, in spite of every means we could
attempt for his relief.
CASES of the natural Small-pox, treated in the preceding Method.
CASE XXIII.
One morning about ten I was desired to visit a poor man in a fever.
Two days before, in the evening, he had been seized with a shivering
fit, which was then supposed to be the ague; he soon grew extremely
hot, with pain in his head, back, and loins, which continued till I saw
him, the 24th of October: he had kept his bed, had scarce any sleep,
his heat great, pulse strong and quick, and the pain in his loins very
severe. This man had applied to me to be inoculated a little before
he was taken ill, on account of the small-pox being very much in his
neighbourhood; but he had not as yet taken any preparatory steps. I
made no doubt but he was now attacked with this disease, and from the
severity of the symptoms expected it would prove of the confluent kind.
As he lived near me, and I could easily attend to every circumstance,
I determined to try how far the cooling method might be beneficial in
treating the natural small-pox.
I found it very difficult to persuade him to rise out of bed, as he
thought himself utterly unable to support himself, notwithstanding
he was on other occasions a resolute man. Assuring him however that
I would not attend him, unless he would comply, he promised to use
his utmost endeavours. I left him to put this advice in practice, and
ordered him to a carpenter’s yard about one hundred yards distance,
where I promised to meet him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account