The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-05-12

any one that has died of It; and you mag
believe am very well satisfied OF tho
safety OF the experfent since intend to
try II on my dear little SON. Later she
writes: THE boy was engrafted last
Tuesday and ia Mt this time Sunday
singing and playing and very Impatient
for his supper cannot engraft the girl:
her nurse has not had the smallpox" In
her first letter she writes that she will
try to bring this into fashion In England,
But the distemper Is too beneficial 70;
them (the doctors) not to expose to all
their resentment the hardy weight that
should endeavor to put an end to it."
She had occasion for all her heroisfn ON
attempting to Introduce this treatment
When her little daughter was inoculated
on her return to England In 1718 the
government appointed four famous ply
sicians to watch the case, and such was
their hatred and prejudice that Lady
Mary did not dare to leave her child with
them for a second. She was hooted at
In the street as an unnatural mother and
denounced from the pulpit by the clergy,
An equally thankleSs task was assumed
by Dir. Boyston, professor of physics at
Cambridge (U. 81, who lnoculated his
boy of six. Many pamphlets were written
for and against the practice in both Lon
don and America-for instance, a sermon
against the dangers and sinful practice of
inoculation-another sermon classes this
"lnfatuntion" with witchcraft and the
persecution OF the Quakers Increase
Mathcr wrote two pamphlets of his nine
ty-two, now so rare, on Accounts OF
cowpock In London, 1921" defending the
practice. and also defending himself and
his son Cotton Mathcr, for upholding the
practice. Among the ideas which pre-
vailed among those who advocated quar-
antining patients we find that the doc
tors wig was considered to carry Il In
many cases.
Among the notable epidemics of i'm
n
trolled by inolcuation we may mention
the outbreak in the American army at
Cambridge In ZIG. Dr. Rand who re-
membered Boylston's incubation in 1721
inoculated almost all the army Another,
terrible epidemic occurred In IN Isolated
neighborhood In Bedfordshire In which
Lady Mary,s grandson was vicar. The
mortality became so great that he finally
persuaded the people to be inoculated at
his expense, and out of two thousand
that were inoculatcd only three died, and
the smallpox disappeared for years from
the district. incubation was thus great
step towards immunity from smallpox for
the Individual. but 1t was found that the
percentage OF deaths the world over was
higher with incubation, since the persons
who were inoculated, while perhaps suf-
fering little themselves were able to give
1t In severe forms, and II caused smallpox
to be always present in u community. 1t
was forbidden by net of parliament In
1910.
The circumstances attending the dis
covery of vaccination by Jenner are
probably better known than the facts
have related. Edward Jenner was born
| in Gloucestershire May H. l7i9. His won
derful discovery was the outcome of Il
| long series of experiments. the starting
| point being casual remark made by n
country woman who came for advice to
| the surgeon with whom Jenner was
| studying medicine The subject of small
pox being mentioned. she said Il can't
| take that, / have had cowpoX." Jenner
| followed up this observation and found
1t to he common belief that milk maids
who took cowpoN from the COW they
| were milking never had smallpox. This
was regarded by doctors generally ms
sort OF old wives fable, but Jenner en-
| couraged by the famous Hunter, under
whom he afterward studied, to try and
| find out whittier ii was true. entered upon
Il prolonged series of experiments to
verify or disapprove the alleged facts.
| AS the cowpox sometimes disappeared for
years at time Jenner's experiments were
| sometimes interrupted from this cause.
| The accompanying picture shown In the
| Paris Salon shows the first vaccination
May IL, 1883 The boy, James Phillips.
was lnoculnted July l, 1885, but as Jen-
ner had predicted, did not take smallpox,