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 — John Shaqi
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
History
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
So much has already been said on general Inoculations in the country,
that it seems unnecessary to enter on the subject again in this place.
But such is the obstinacy of some parishes, and the parsimony of others,
that it is impossible for the poor who are desirous of being inoculated,
to persuade them to advance the small sum that would be necessary to
defray the expence; and they are therefore obliged to wait the event of
the natural disease, while the principal inhabitants are securing their
own families by Inoculation.
Another unjustifiable piece of frugality that deserves attention and to
be remedied is, that in many places where the whole number of poor have
been inoculated at the expence of the parish, illiterate fellows,
totally unacquainted with diseases or remedies, have been employed on
account of cheapness only; when at the same time the families of the
wealthy have been under the care of medical gentlemen of good
reputation. To insert all the instances that might be produced of
parochial meanness would be tedious; I shall mention the following only,
which may be relied on as an indisputable truth. The inhabitants of a
certain parish had a meeting to agree on inoculating all the poor; some
medical gentlemen in the neighbourhood offered to undertake the business
at a very low price; but as cheapness was the only object of
consideration, the parish was about to agree with a blacksmith at
eighteen pence a head, when one of the most frugal started this
objection: It is very probable that under this man’s care we may have
some die, and the expence of their burial may cost the parish so much,
that it might be as well to agree with a better man. This objection was
thus removed by the smith:—“Come, I’ll tell you what I’ll do with
you.—Give me half a crown a head, and them that die I will carry to the
church-yard without putting the parish to any further expence.”
Thus to trifle with the lives of their indigent fellow creatures, must
be an indelible reproach to any people. I know it will be said, that
many instances can be produced, where whole parishes of poor have been
inoculated, and have succeeded very well, under the care of persons who
were totally unacquainted with medicine.
I will not here dispute the truth of this assertion; and indeed, if it
was not an easy matter to procure more able help, it might be better to
continue the practice in that way than to neglect inoculating entirely;
but this is not the case. Gentlemen of the profession of good abilities
will go very low in their price; and when it is considered that the sum
is to be paid but once in the life of each person, surely parishes ought
to be compelled to employ one who has had a medical education, and
others should be restrained to their own proper business.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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