16Q JL^y<?o/Dr. Jenner. 



pable of extirpating from the earth a disease which is Gwevf 

 hour devouring its victims, a disease that has ever been 

 considered as the severest scourge of the human race ! "* 



The early career of vaccination, though very brilliant, 

 was clouded by some disappointments. In the first ex- 

 periments at the Small-pox Hospital, the vaccine lymph 

 became contaminated with small-pox, which the physician 

 to that establishment could not be made to believe. Some 

 weak persons, with Dr. Moseley at their head, assailed it 

 with the shafts of ridicule ; but Dr. Jenner was more an- 

 noyed by the conduct of some of those who avowed them- 

 selves friends to vaccination, than by all the efforts of its 

 open enemies. Professional envy was at work, and a re- 

 gular attempt was made to wrest from Jenner's brow the 

 laurels which he had so fairly won. Instead of strictly 

 questioning the accuracy of some of Jenner's views, his 

 opponents joined in the loudest praise of vaccination, but 

 allowed to Jenner only just sufficient merit to entitle him 

 to the appointment of extra-corresponding physician to 

 a vaccine institution, with the privilege of recommending 

 patients, by proxy, on payment of one guinea per annum. 

 (p. 361.) The whole conduct of the physician who stood 

 prominently forward on this occasion, is animadverted on, 

 in very strong terms, by Dr. Baron, who with the honest 

 warmth of a biographer, is indignant at the slight thus 

 cast upon the hero of his history. On this painful part 

 of the subject, however, we will not dwell longer, but 

 proceed to record the gratifying tributes to his merit 

 which Dr. Jenner received from other quarters. A strong 

 testimony of confidence in the virtues of the Cow-pox was 

 signed so early as the summer of 1799, by thirty-three of 

 the most eminent physicians, and by forty distinguished 

 surgeons of the metropolis. Early in 1800 the Duke of 

 Clarence exerted himself greatly in the cause ; and in the 

 month of March that year, Dr. Jenner was successively in- 

 troduced to the Duke of York, the King, the Prince of 

 Wales, and, lastly, to the Queen, all of whom received him 

 with marked attention, and expressed the interest they felt 

 for the success of vaccination. 



By these and similar proofs of the public feeling, individual 

 clamour was at length hushed ; and in the propagation of 

 Cow-pox to distant regions, Jenner quickly found ample 

 employment for his time and thoughts. Dr. Baron gives 



* Jenner's " Continuation of Facts and Observations." 1800. 



