154 CLASSICS OF MODERN SCIENCE 



A medical gentleman (now no more), who for many years inoc- 

 ulated in this neighbourhood, frequently preserved the variolous mat- 

 ter intended for his use, on a piece of lint or cotton, which, in its 

 fluid state, was put into a vial, corked, and conveyed into a warm 

 pocket ; a situation certainly favourable for speedily producing putre- 

 faction in it. In this state (not infrequently after it had been taken 

 several days from the pustules) it was inserted into the arms of his 

 patients, and brought on inflammation of the incised parts, swellings 

 of the axillary glands, fever, and sometimes eruptions. But what 

 was this disease ? Certainly not the Small-pox ; for the matter hav- 

 ing from putrefaction lost, or suffered a derangement in its specific 

 properties, was no longer capable of producing that malady, those 

 who had been inoculated in this manner being as much subject to 

 the contagion of the Small-pox, as if they had never been under 

 the influence of this artificial disease; and many, unfortunately, fell 

 victims to it, who thought themselves in perfect security. The same 

 unfortunate circumstance of giving a disease, supposed to be the 

 Small-pox, with inefficacious variolous matter, having occurred under 

 the direction of some other practitioners within my knowledge, and 

 probably from the same incautious method of securing the variolous 

 matter, I avail myself of this opportunity of mentioning what I 

 conceive to be of great importance ; and, as a further cautionary hint, 

 I shall again digress so far as to add another observation on the 

 subject of Inoculation. 



Whether it be yet ascertained by experiment, that the quantity of 

 variolous matter inserted into the skin makes any difference with re- 

 spect to the subsequent mildness or violence of the disease, I know 

 not ; but I have the strongest reason for supposing that if either the 

 punctures or incisions be made so deep as to go through it, and wound 

 the adipose membrane, that the risk of bringing on a violent disease 

 is greatly increased. I have known an inoculator, whose practice was 

 "to cut deep enough (to use his own expression) to see a bit of fat," 

 and there to lodge the matter. The great number of bad cases, inde- 

 pendent of inflammations and abscesses on the arms, and the fatality 

 which attended this practice was almost inconceivable ; and I cannot 

 account for it on any other principle than that of the matter being 

 placed in this situation instead of the skin. 



At what period the Cow-pox was first noticed here is not upon 



