The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-05-12

we nov haiten, is the mott important part
of this narrative.
For the difcovery of the divine-art of
vaccination, we are indebted to fortunate
concurrence of circumstances; talents, eslu-
cation, and 6tuation to the talents of DIR
Jenner, his education under the celebrated
Hunter, and his Gtuation in the vale of
Gloucefter. His inquiry into the nature OF
the cow-pox commenced about the year
1876. His attention to this iingular dii-
cafe. was FRI excited by obierving, that a.
mong thofe whom ne inoculated for the
fmall-pox, many were infuiceptible of that
diiorder. Thefe perfonS, he was informed
had undergone the cafual cow-pox, which
had been known in the diaries from time
immemorial, and avague opinion had pre-
vailed, that it was 4 preventive Oft the fmali
poX.
DR.. Jenner met with many apparent ex-
captions to this rule, which led him to afS
the opinions ofother medical practitioners
in the neighhourhood, vino all agreed, that
the prophylactic power of the cow-pox
was not to be relied on. This for while
damped, but did not e,:tinguiih his ardor
for he had the fatisfa6tion to learn, that the
COW was fubje6t to various 'eruptions
called the cow-poX, all of which were Ca
pablo OF injecting the hands of the mixers.
Having furmountei this obitacle, he form
ed difinction between the different kinds
ofpufulouS eruptions to which the cow is
liable denominating one fpecies the true,
and all the Others the fpurious cow-pox.
This impeachment to his progrcfS was not
long removed, before another, of far great
er magnitude in appearance itarted up. In
frances were not wanting to prove, that
when the genuine cow-pox broke out in a
dairy, fome periOns who had experienced
the diieaie reiilsd the .inall pox; & others
continued fuiceptibie of that di0emper.
This obitacie, as well as the former, gave
a painful checs,to his fond aipiring hopes;
but refle6ting that the operations of nature
are for the mott part uniform, and that
when two perfons have had the cow-pox,
it is not protaoi one fhould be perfect
ly ihielded from the fnall-pex, and the
contribution of the other remain unprote6t-
ed, he returned his lahourS with redoubled
ardOur.
The refIt was fortunate for he now
Uncovered, that vaccine, as well as vaISo-
lous matter, undergoes change; and that
when it has loit its fpeciic property, it is
ftillcapableo of communicating apuitulous e.
ruption. Hence, perfon who milks a cow
one day; may receivee the infection of the
genuine cow-pox, and be rendered forever
fecure from the infection of the finall-pox;
while another who TnilkS the fame COW the
next day, may have puftulous eraption,
and perhaps conRitutiona indifpohtion
to confderable extent, yet fill remain iuf.
ceptiblc-of the varioious contagion.
While thus invcftigating the nature of
the cow-pox, he was truck with the idea,
that it might be practicable to propagate
the tifeafe b. iuoculation, after the manner
Of the fmall-pox (; fir1t from the cow, and
then4rom ore human hbied to another.
The irft cafe in which he put this theory
to the teit, inipired him with confidence
and regular ferries of experiments, which
he afterwards inititated for that purpofe,
was crowned with fuccefs.
Several perfons were fucccfiively inocu-
lated from each other with vaccine matter,
and Afterwards expofed in variety ofways
to the infection of the fInall-pox, which
they all refifed.
This happy difcovery was. coramunica-
ted to the world by DR.. Jenner, in trcatiie
'puolifhed in Joue, 1898, entitled, " An In
qniry into the Caufes and Effects ofthe Va
riola Vaccine, difeaie difcovered in fome
of the weftern counties of England, parti-
cularly Gloucelterihire, and known by the
name ofthe Cow-poX." The refult OF his
further experience was alto brought for
ward in fubfequent publications in the
courfe of the +wo fucceeding years and
the whole work has been publilhed in one
volume, He has iincc written a fmall tract,
entitled, ",The Origin of Vaccine Inocula-
ton )" from which the preceding account
Of that angular improvement of the healing
art is, in great meaiure, extracted.
In themonth of July 1913, MIR. Cline in
oculated child with vaccine virus received
from DR.. Jenner, which flcceeded. He
afterwards put the child to the teft of mo
CulatiGn with fmall-pax matter in three
places, which it reiiiteG. Onthis location
MIR. Cline informs DR.. Jenner, that DR.. LIZ
fer, formerly phyician to the SMALLPOX
Hoipita, and himielf, areconvinced of the
efficacy of the cow-pox and that ne fub-
ftitution of this mild diieafe for the fnall-
pox, promrfes TO be one of the greateft i'm
proverents ever made in medicine. He
adds, the more think on the fubiea, the
more ! am imprefied with its impor-
tanee.p
Nothing has fnewn in more friking
point OF view, the lmmenie advantage like
ly to refult from vaccine incubation, than
the introduction of the practice 'lto the ar
my and navy. For the former we are in
debted to Mr.. keate and MIR. Ruth for |
the latter, to DIR. Trotter, physician to the !
Fleet, and DIR. Blame at that time one of the |
commilionerso of Sick and Hurt. DIR. Blaine
obtaiped an order from the Lords of the
Admiralty to fan6tion his benevolent de-
fgn.
On this location, the phyfcians and fur