Life of Dr, Jenner. iSl 



copious details concerning the mode in which this' object so 

 dear to his heart was effected ; as also concerning the per- 

 sons chiefly instrumental in carrying his views into effect. 

 Many of these details possess great interest, especially those 

 which concern the introduction of cow-pox into the great 

 continent of Asia (p. 420); but we have no space for them 

 here. Suffice it to say, that the late Dr. Gregory had the 

 merit of introducing vaccination into Scotland, through the 

 medium of Sir Matthew Tierney. Dr. Waterhouse under- 

 took to introduce it into America, and by his perseverance 

 and talents, fully succeeded in doing so about the year 1800. 

 The earliest supporter of vaccination on the continent of 

 Europe was Dr. De Carro of Vienna, whose exertions in the 

 cause are beyond all praise. To him our Indian possessions 

 are Indebted, for the introduction of the vaccine. Dr. Sacco, 

 of Milan, distinguished himself not merely as an active pro- 

 pagator of the new practice in Italy, but by his pathologi- 

 cal inquiries into the origin of cow-pox. 



Dr. Baron dedicates one chapter of his book to a detail 

 of the events connected with the first parliamentary grant 

 to Dr. Jenner. A committee was appointed to examine and 

 report upon Dr. Jenner's claims for public remuneration. 

 Witnesses pro and con were examined. It was stated, that 

 a farmer of the name of Jesty had actually inoculated his 

 wife and children with cow-pock matter in 1774, and that a 

 Mrs. Rendall had caused five of her children to play with the 

 teat of a cow to secure them from small-pox ; but this, as 

 Dr. Baron observes, never advanced the cause of vaccina- 

 tion beyond what popular rumour had already done. Dr. 

 Jenner's merit consisted in this, that he divested popular 

 tradition of its obscurity and uncertainty, and gave the 

 aspect of science to what was formerly vague and valueless. 

 A pretty illustration of that kind of merit which belongs to 

 Jenner is given by Dr. Baron, at p. 562. A fish was pre- 

 paring for dinner In the kitchen of a medical man, and was 

 accidentally placed on a table In connexion with two metals. 

 The fish was thrown into convulsions. The doctor recorded 

 the circumstance, published an account of it, and there the 

 matter ended. The same sort of thing afterwards occurred 

 in the laboratory of Galvani. He set himself to investigate 

 the phenomenon, and the genius which this effort displayed 

 was soon rewarded by a rich harvest of discovery. But to 

 return to the Committee of the House of Commons, whom we 

 left discussing Dr. Jenner's claims. They considered him 

 well entitled to 20,000^., but Mr. Bankes, the Joseph Hume 



