Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-01-06

itself; but 10 served as preteNt TOT the OPP
position to show their hands which they were
not slow to do. The Boston Courant, pub
lished by James Franklin, brother of the eel
ebrated Dr. Franklin, opened the columns of
his journal to all who wished to vent their
spleen upon Dr. Boylston or DR.. Mather, and
the paper did not lack for matter designed TO
that end. The feeling against DIR. Mather
was especially bitter and he was openly in
suited whenever he appeared in public His
only means Of defence was through the col
umns Of the Boston News Letter, a journal
favorable to the cause, and which he fire.
quently employed to deal his opponents what
time has shown to be effective blows. To
show the hostility that was felt toward him,
one instance Of many that might be related
will suffice. He had taken brother clergy
man into his house to undergo incubation,
and while he was suffering from the effects
Of the process, being confined 10 bed in the
front part of the house, some person threw
hand grenade into the room occupied by
him, but, by chance the fuse slipped from its
fastening, thus saving an explosion which,
probably, would have proved fatal to all the
luuhleh. IODulhE tAClNtutul Ihu Dlbhs AhWb
were passed forbidding people to enter Bos-
on for the purpose of being inOculated. DR..
Boylston was finally obliged to publicly re-
nounce the practice, and, although it did not
become wholly extinct, for the next 20 years
it was in a quiescent state. But long before
vaccination was announced, incubation was
again brought into use, and its merits recog-
H. nnvIstou lvaH 10 bo
tice legalized aud generally adopted through
out the colonies, dying in 1866, aged 81.
When DIR. Boylston was laid away in his
tomb in Kings Chapel, Edward Jenner was
an apprentice TO a surgeon in Sudbury, Eng
land. He was the son of a clergyman, and
was born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, May
18th, 1749. He early evinced taste for nat
ural history and medicine, and at the age of
fourteen was apprenticed to the Sudbury sur
&c on, with whom he remained seven years.
At the age of twenty-one he went TO London,
and became pupil of the celebrated John
Hunter, the most sminent surgeon of the last
century. Daring the two years he remained
with Hunter he was employed for a portion
Of the time in arranging the specimens of
natural history brought back by Capt. Cook
from his first voyage of discovery, and re-
ceived an appointment to accompany that
commander on his second expedition around
the world, but declined the proffered position
m 1916 he returned to the town of his
nativity, and began the practice of his
professionalism of a surgeon. The idea of
vaccination was first suggested to his mind
when serving his original apprenticeship up
on hearing the dairy maids who called at his
masters Office frequently declare that they
were not afraid Of smallpox, having had a
disease contracted from the cows they MIXED,
which protected them against the malady in
its original form. When he went to London
in 1910, he communicated with DIR. Hunter on
the subject, who said to him Don't think,
but try" His own version of the workings
of his mind in developing vaccination is in
the following words, published in 1799
'My inquiry into the nature of the COW
pox commenced upwards of twenty five years
ago. My attention to this singular disease
was first excited by observing that, among
those whom in the country 1 was frequently
called upon to inoculate. many resisted every
effort to give them the smallpox. These pa
| tents, l found, had undergone a disease they
called the cow-pox, contracted by milking
COWS affected with peculiar eruption on their
udders. On inquiry it appeared that it mad
been known among the diaries time immemo-
rial, and that vague opinion prevailed that
it was preventive of small-p During the
investigation of the casual cow-pox, l was
struck with the idea that it might be practical
BILE to propagate the disease by vaccination
| after the manner of smallpox, first from the
| COW and finally from one human being to an
other. l an1iously waited some time for an
| opportunity of putting this theory to the
test. At length the period arrived. The first
experiment was made upon a lad by the name
OF Phipps, in whose arm little vaccine virus
| was inserted, taken from the hand of young
woman who had been accidentally infected
from COW. Notwithstanding the resem-
blance which the pustule thus excited on the
boys arm bore to that which appeared after
incubation, yet, as the indisposition attend.
ing it was barely perceptible, 1 could hardly
persuade myself that the patient was secure
| from the smallpox However on his being
inoculated some months afterward it proved
that he was secure"
The date of this first vaccination was MAY
18th, 1896. For some years previous to this
first successful attempt, he had closely studied
the disease as it appeared in the COW, and had
|
beset every step of his investigation, and
which can only be appreciated by those fam
liar with the various phases of this compiler
disease, in manner indicative of the strong
Will, persevering tenacity, and surety of sue.
cess, which he undoubtedly possessed. His
efforts to secure to mankind the greatest bless.
ing ever conferred upon them by mortal hand
found no favor in the eyes of those in posi-
ton to help him along the road to success,
until he was able to demonstrate by actual
fact that the years spent in patient examina.
ton were not given at the instance of a dis
eased fancy; and it was fully six years from
his first vaccination before England recoeniz.
ed the merits of his claim to popular favor.
She was finally aroused to a sense of justice,
and granted him sums of money on several
occasions. He came back to London in 1903,
hoping to increase his practice but, being
disappointed, returned to Berkeley, where he
died January 26 1923.
The history of vaccination in this country
is of little popular interest 1t is, however,
to the credit of American physicians, that, in
strong contrast to their brethren across the
ocean, they received the announcement OF
Jenner's discovery with open arms; and as
soon as they were able to familiarize them
selves with the details attendant upon its per,
Torrance, vaccination became an established
fact in America. The first public record OF
the process made in this country was publish,
ed in 1893. The article was written bv g
oharlestown (Mass.) physician who had re-
ceiyed and tested some matter sent from Eng
land by Jenner himself. Two years previous
ly small quantity of virus had been sent to
New York physician, but he failed to make
public mention of the fact; so that the Athens
of America can claim the distinction of having
been the first to Witness in the western world
incubation, vaccination and anasthesia.
For many years succeeding the discovery OF