416 Mr. Abury’s Plan to exterminate the, Natural Small-pox. . (June ok 
lity’ of the small-pox.,_ It is said that, 
when this disease first visited New 
Spain, it proved fatal to one half of the 
inhabitants, ‘‘*that in the province of 
Quito alone it destroyed uo less than 
one hundred thousand.” In Greenland, 
in the year 1773, it almost depopulated 
the whole country; and, when the 
small-pox was conveyed to the Isle of 
France by a Dutch ship in 1793, five 
thousand four hundred persons perished 
with it there in six weeks. Mr. Ring, 
in his “Treatise on the Cow-pock,” ob- 
serves, that, when the small-pox made 
its appearance among a tribe of Esqui- 
maux Indians, on the coast of Labra- 
dor, it was so violent and fatal that 
many of the natives fled to avoid the 
contagion, nor did they venture to re- 
turn till three years had elapsed, when 
their country had become a desart; but 
they found the skeletons of five hundred 
persons, who had fallen victims to the 
horrible disorder, 
The pestilence has been equally fatal 
in this climate. By the London Bills 
of Mortality for seventy-five years, 
(ending in the year 1777) according to 
Dr. Cappe, more than two thousand 
and twenty have been swept off by the 
small-pox annually. The total amount 
in that period was one hundred and 
fifty-one thousand five hundred and 
seventy... In 1800, the number was 
two. thousand four hundred; in 1801, 
one thousand four hundred and sixty- 
one. From Dr. Blane’s evidence before 
the Committee of the House of Com- 
mons, we learn, that the deaths from 
the small-pox were, on an average, 
nearly one-tenth of the whole morta- 
lity: that; by the Bills of Mortality, 
more than two thousand die annually 
of it in London, because these Bills do 
not include the whole of the metropo- 
lis; one of the largest parishes, viz. 
Mary-le-bone, is not included in them, 
neither is Pancras, in which the Small- 
pox Hospital itself is situated. It is 
estimated that the whole number not 
reckoned is one hundred and seventeen 
thousand eight hundred and two; in 
addition to which, we may notice that 
six or’seven thousand persons are an- 
nually interred in the burying-grounds 
of the Dissenters, The whole number 
of deaths in ‘the United Kingdom, ac- 
cording to this gentleman’s calculation, 
would be about thirty-four thousand 
two hundred and sixty. 
The extraordinary fatality of this 
* Woodville on Small- pox. 
disease, prior to.the introduction, of . 
vaccination, has given. rise to the re- 
mark, that it is more destructive to. the. 
human, race than the sword, the plague, 
or famine. The contagious principle of, 
the plague, which is considered (by 
Europeans a most formidable distem- 
per, is more limited in its sphere of ac-' 
tion than that of the small-pox ; it es— 
pecially requires certain co-operating 
agents for the efficacy of the contagious, 
matter, such as an atmosphere conta-. 
minated by efiluvia from the decompo- 
sition of animal or vegetable matter, a 
particular season and climate, anda 
certain degree of temperature. , These 
are essential to the production of plaguc- 
The contagious principle of the small- 
pox, on the contrary, requires onily the. 
specific seed to be sown, and the disease 
is propagated in all seasons, and in 
every climate; it requires no agency, 
but the susceptibility of the eonstitu- 
tion; then the morbid action itself 
produces new seed in an accumulated. 
quantity, and in this. manner the 
ravages of the disease are extended to 
every variety of the human. species, 
from the North to the South. Pole,. 
There is another peculiarity highly. 
important to be noticed. The yariolous, 
matter, adhering to any substance, ang 
being afterwards accidentally applied 
to the body, either in solution or,in : 
dry state, and rendered soluble by the 
insensible perspiration, is capable .of 
producing the disease foraconsiderable, 
time after it has been thrown off from. 
the subjectin which it was engendered : 
and there are many well authenticated 
instances of the contagion being so po- 
tent and durable that eyen the graye 
itself does not destroy its influence. 
Such, then, is the character, of that, 
disease, which many_parents_are. so, 
anxious and diligent in administering, 
to their children by inoculation... .. ; 
The practice of inoculation gained 
considerable credit in the hands of. its, 
early. promoters, by producing a much. 
milder form of the disease: than, that, 
excited by what_is called the natural 
mode; and, on the same principle, this, 
practice has. been continued up to the 
present time. Itwould be reasonable to 
infer, therefore, that, since the adoption, 
of inoculation, the number; of deaths, 
from, swall-pox should , be, decreased« 
But, if the yearly Bills of Mortality be 
examined,.we. shall find), that.,,Dr. 
Lettsom’s. statement, to, the committee 
of the House of Commons. is, correct, 
It appears, that.im forty-two years, 
between 
