Thoughts on General and Partial Inoculations: Containing a translation of two treatises written when the author was at Petersburg, and published there, by Command of her Imperial Majesty, in the Russian LanguageDimsdale, Thomas
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Thoughts on General and Partial Inoculations: Containing a translation of two treatises written when the author was at Petersburg, and published there, by Command of her Imperial Majesty, in the Russian Language
Dimsdale, Thomas
Smallpox -- Vaccination -- Early works to 1800
Having endeavoured to remove the prejudice that is apt to accompany the
idea of an Hospital so far as relates to health, I shall proceed to
enumerate the advantages that will most probably be obtained by an
institution of this kind; some of these have been already mentioned in
the translation, and I shall take the liberty of introducing them again
in this place, with little variation, as they relate to the subject.
One, and indeed no inconsiderable advantage to be derived from a plan of
this sort will be, that all the patients being collected together in one
house, the physician will be enabled to attend a great number at the
same time in a proper manner, and can be particularly attentive to such
as may more immediately require his assistance.
And it is of no small importance to those who are inoculated, that the
necessary regulations in respect to regimen, as well as every other
circumstance that requires the physician’s attention, will be there
properly observed, and the necessary medicines always at hand, with an
able person to direct the manner in which they ought to be administered.
There is likewise another advantage obtained by this method, that with
proper caution the Small Pox will not be communicated to others in the
natural way of infection.
It is also an encouraging circumstance, that an establishment of this
sort will be attended with less expence, in several particulars, than
any other Hospital.
One physician will be able to superintend the process of Inoculation in
a very great number of patients, provided he is assisted by a resident
apothecary to receive his instruction, and to be at hand to assist on
extraordinary emergencies.
Few drugs or medicines will be wanted; the expence therefore on these
articles will be very trifling.
Few attendants on the sick will be necessary, and not so much as one
under the character of a nurse; for there will always be a sufficient
number of patients in so good a state of health, as to be able to attend
on those who may require assistance; and it should be one condition of
their admittance, that they should be willing to assist others when
able, as they would wish to be attended themselves when they stand in
need of it; and if this injunction is complied with, it may be expected
that there will be a sufficient number in a state of health to perform
this office for one another. The doing the heavy and dirty part of the
work, the care of the children, the attendance of those who may have the
disease more severely, and the business of the kitchen, will doubtless
require a proper number of healthy maid-servants.
In respect to diet, as it will be chiefly of the vegetable and least
expensive kinds of food, this will be a very moderate article in the
œconomy of such an establishment.
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On the Hospitals at Pancras.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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