Man and Micrcbes. 83 



His discoveries were not utilized until two centuries later, but 

 numerous writers of the next century in theory taught almost 

 precisely the relation of germs to disease. This was especially 

 true of Plenciz and Bassi. 



VIII. JENNER AND SMALLPOX. 



Long before the first bacterium of disease was discovered 

 and convicted, one of the most serious of the infectious diseases 

 of mankind was subjugated and placed under control through 

 the ingenuity and efforts of one man, so that now it has be- 

 come one of the optional diseases.*' Like elective courses in the 

 University, one may take the disease if he so desires; other- 

 wise not. I have reference to smallpox, the great "scourge of 

 God" that for centuries, with irregular and frequent peri- 

 odicities, brought havoc upon mankind. 



That vaccination for smallpox >vas practiced among ori- 

 entals centuries ago is a verisimilitude. In all likelihood, even 

 before the Christian era, the custom of introducing smallpox 

 scales into the nostrils — "sowing smallpox — or of opening the 

 pustules of the victim and transferring some of the suppura- 

 tion to an incision on the one to be inoculated was practiced 

 in Hindustan. Such practices occurred in northern Africa, 

 among the Chinese, Persians, Circassians, Greeks and Turks. 

 Even in northern Europe and Great Britain the principles of 

 inoculation were doubtless known and practiced more or less 

 sporadically and on a minimum scale for a long time. 



To Lady Mary Montagu belongs the honor of introducing 

 the practice into England on a more or less national basis. 

 Owing to her court relations, she succeeded in converting the 

 royalty, and when royalty once adopts a custom imitation on 

 the part of many of its socially aspiring subjects assures its 

 permanency. Our worthy lady had been visiting in Constanti- 

 nople, and in a famous letter, 1717, she told of how she had 

 rendered her boy immune- to the disease by engrafting — a prac- 

 tice so common among the Turks. So enthusiastic had Lady 

 Montagu become over the practice that upon her return to 

 England she succeeded in converting the Princess of Wales 

 and a host of the king's court to the procedure. 



Despite these measures, the ravages of smallpox were not 

 materially reduced. The public fought shy of vaccination. Al- 

 ways was the clergy ready to oppose it. "Horrid murder of 

 the little, unoffending innocents," said the robed ecclisiastics. 



