The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-18 00:00:00

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REPORT OF THE ■OPAL COLLEGE or PNYSICIAVS

or LONDON, ON vsccisaxiost,
The Royal College of Physicians of Loddon,
having received Hi, Itsjesty's commands, in com-
pliance with an Address from the House of Com-
'• to inquire into the state of Vaccine Ino-
culation in the United Kingdom, to report their
opinion and ob,ervations upon that practice, uron
the evidence which has been adduced in its support,
and upon the tawes which have hitherto retarded
its general adoption—have: applied themselves di-
ligently to the business referred to them.
Deeply impressed with the importance of an in-
quiry which involves the Eves of individuals, and
the public prosperity, they have made every exer-
tion to investigate the subjed fully and impartially.
In aid of the knowledge and experience of the mem-
bers of their own body, they have applied sepa-
rately to each of the Licentiates of the College ;
they have crrresponded with the College of Phy-
sicians of Do:liin and Edinburgh 1 with the Col-
leges cf Surgeons of London, Edinburgh. and
Dublin ; they have called upon the Societies esta-
bl'ated fur Vaccination, for an aecougt of their prac-
tice, to what extent it has been cat rltd on, and what
has been the result of their experience; and they
have, by public notice. invited individuals to contri-
bute whatever information they bad severally;col-
led.d. 1 hey have, in consequence, been furnished
v.itli amass of evidence, communicated with the
greatest readiness and candour, which enables them
to speak with confidence.upun all the principal points
referred to them.

1. During eight years which have elapsed since
Dr. Jenner made his discovery public, the progress
of Vaceinatimi has been rapid, not only in all parts
of the Untied Kingdom, but in every quarter of
the civilized world. In theiitish 'Janda tome
hundred thousands have been vaccinated, in out
possessions in the FAA Indies upwards (1'800,030,
and among the nations of Europe the ptactice has
become general. Profess4inal men have submitted
it 16 tse fairest trials, and the public have, for the
most past, received it without prejudice. A lew
indeed have stood forth the adversaries of Vaccine-
ti m, on the Salle grounds as their predecessors,
Mho opposed the Inoculadon for the small pox,
falsely kJ by hype•thetical reasoning in the investi-
gation of a suljea which must be supported, or
,ejected, upon fads and observation• only. With
these few exceptions, the testimony in favour of
Vaccination has been most strorg and satisfactory,
and the prattice of it, though it has received a
c.eck in some qnarters, appears still to be upon the
sn.rease in most parts of the United Kingdom.
11. The College of Physicians in giving their ob-
se: vations and opinions on the practice of Vaccina-
tion, think it right to premise, that they advance
nosing but what is supported by the multiplied and
unequivocal evidence which has been brought be-
fore them, and they have not considered any fans
as proved hut what have been stated from naual
.041 vatlttl.

Vaccination appears to be in general perfectly
safe ; the in.aalices to the con. rary being rxtremely
rate. The &seam excited by it is slight, and seldom
prevents those under it from following their ordinaiy
cc, upations. It has beets communicated with safety
to pregnant women, to children during dentition,
and in their earliest infancy; in all which respells it
possesses material advantages over inoculation for
the small pia ; which, though produtlive of a dis-
ease genet ally mild, yet sometimes occasions alarm-
ing symptoms, and is in a few cases fatal.
The security derived from vaccination against the
small pox, if not absolutely perfell, is as nearly so
as can I erbaps be elpeeted from any human disco-
eery ; for amongst several handfed thousand cases,
with the results of w:iich the College 'SAVA bean
made acqueinied, the number of alleged failures
has been surprisingly small, so much so, as to form
certainly no reasonable objellion to the general
adopt on of vaccination; for it appears that there
are trot nearly so many failures, in a given number
of vaccinated persons, as there are deaths in an equal
number of persons inoculated for the small pox.
Nothing can mote clearly demonstrate the snperi-
ority of vaccination over the inoculation of the small
pox, than this consideration and it is a most im-
portant fall, which has been confirmed in the course
of this inquiry, that in almost every case, where the
small pox has succeeded •accination, whether by
inoculation or by casual infeaion, the disease has
vatted much from its ordinary course ; it has neither
been the same in the violence, nor in the duration
of its symptoms, but bas, w•itit very few exceptions,
been remarkably mild, as if the small pox had beets
deAtived, by the previous vaccine disease, of all its
usual malignity.
Tic testinionies before the College of Physicians
are very dech:ed in declaring, that vaccination
does I. ss mischief to the constitution, and less tee-
quelitly gives rise to other diseases, than the small
pox, either natural or inoculated.
Tae College feel themselves caller! upon to state
this strongly. lsesarise it has been objlded to vacci-
nation, that it produces new, unheard-of, and mon-
strous diseases. Of such assertions no proofs have
ken produced. and, after diligent inquiry, the
College believe them to have been either the inven-
tions of des.giting, or the mistakes of ignorant men.
In these respells then, in its mildness. its safety,
and its consetotuees. the individual may look for
the peculiar advantages of vaccination. The be-
fiats which lbw from it to society are infinitely
mote considerable, it spreads no infeltion. and can
be communicated only by inoculation. It is from
a consideration of the pernicious effects of the small
pot. that the real value of vaccination is to be e:ti-
mated. The natural small pox has been supposed
to destroy a sixth part of all whom iratUcks ; and
that even by inoculation, where that has been gene-
ral its parishes and towns. about one in Soo has
usually died• It is not sufficiently known, or not
adverted to, that nearly one-tenth, some years more
than one-tenth of the whole mortality in London,
is occasioned by th• small pox ; and however bone•
&hal the inoculation of the small pox may have been
to individuals. it appears to have kept up a constant
source of contagion, which has been the means of
increasing the number of deaths by what is called
Ilse natural disease. It cannot be doubted that this

mischief has been extended by the inconsiderate
manner in which great numbers of persons, even
since the introduaion of vaccination, ate still every
year Mocelated with the small pox, and Outward*