746 
part where the author speaks of his own 
efforts in this important cause.) 
nM! sii 3 
«© T come now to the last part of the 
task 1 have undertaken; which is, to state 
the result of my own practice. Deeply im- 
pressed with the magnitude. and importance 
of this discovery, and of the benefits that 
would accrue to socicty from its adoption, I 
consklered it as a duty incumbent on me to 
promote it to the utmost of my power. In 
consequence of this opinion, I laboured to 
overcome the prejudices which prevailed ; 
and not altogether without success. 
«© Much experiente has convinced me, 
that the prejudice of the public in general is 
not insurmountable; and that the prejudice 
of certain individuals would not be insur- 
mountable, nor rise to such a height, were 
not a little of the leaven of _ self-interest 
blended with that prejudice. The annihila- 
tion of the small-pox is the annihilation of 
one of the principal branches of the medical 
revenue. 
«¢ Having overedme the first diffieulty, by 
prevailing on a few families to submit to the 
neéw inoculation, having also ascertained the 
mildness of the disease, and its efficacy in 
protecting the patient from the small-pox, I 
resolved never to inoculate with variolous 
matter again, unless the vaccine Huid should 
rove less capable of superseding a previous 
infection of the small-pox. 
** Nor should I deem it a perfect discharge 
of duty, in any professional man, on an oc- 
easion like this, did he not exert every faculty 
of his mind to remove the obstacles that re- 
tard the progress of this improvement; did 
he not explain the advantage of the practice 
to all ranks of people ; did he not exhort and 
encourage, and ¢atle all ranks of people to 
avail themselves of that advantage. 
“ Impressed with these sentiments, have 
held out every encouragement in my power 
to all persons ; but especially to that order of 
society, of which avery great majority have 
hitherto tasted only the bitter fruits of ino- 
culation. ‘To the rich it has proved a bless- 
ing; but to the poor in general, at least in 
this metropolis, it has proved a bane. 
«* Favourable as the opinion was, which 
J first entertained of the new practice, the 
suecess which has attended it has exceeded 
my most sanguine expectations. For a while 
it had some difficulties to encounter, like 
every other innovation ; but when a few in 
any neighbourhood were inoculated, and its 
mild nature was ascertained, the tide of po- 
pularity turned in its fayour; and instead 
of 800, which is about the namber that I 
have now inoculated, if time and other avo- 
cations had permitted, I might haye inocu- 
lated at least as many thousands. 
“© In the populous villages of Lambeth, 
Walworth, Newington, Bermondsey, and 
Rotherhithe, and inthe Borough itself, there 
i$ no yaccine instituticn, nor inoculation hos- 
pital ; nor was this practice scarcely known 
MEDICINE,-SURGERY, ANATOMY, &e. 
to any of the labouring poor, who constit 
the bulk of society every where, but there 
particular. : vay 
** In these parts in general, the houses a 
apartments are small and crowded ; the stree 
narrow, the accommodations very seanty, 
the air in many places unhealthy; the peoyrl 
in general, from their situation in life, ar 
ill-taformed, and unable to procure good me- 
dical advice; and from a combination o 
these causes, the small-pox in that district is 
very fatal. , . 
** Anxious torextend the blessings of this 
happy discovery, to acquire and communi- 
cate all the knowledge | possibly could of the 
subject, to dispel the mist of prejudice whiela 
was excited by certain malignant persons, 
and to establish the practice on a solid foun- 
dation, I devoted every moment which I 
could spare, and more than I could well 
spare, to these important objects. This is 
the reason why the present treatise has been 
so long delayed; and, I trust, will plead 
some apology for those imperfections which 
it now contains, A 
*« In pursuance of this plan, I have assi- 
duously sought for patients, whom 1 might 
inoculate with, the vaceine virus; and la- 
boured to remove every obstacle that epposed ” 
my progress. With ihe multitude, 1 have 
reason to believe, the expence of inoculation 
at home, and the trouble of haying it per- 
formed at adistant place, are the principal 
objections to the practice: ebjeetions which, 
I sincerely hope, wil! soon be removed 
«* It is now unnecessary to exhibit a ta-— 
bular statement of cases, or to detail those 
which are regular; I shall therefore confine 
my ‘observations to those which tend to— 
some practical inference, or serve to confirm, ~ 
in a striking degree, the, principal axioms 
laid down by the great advocates for this in- — 
vention.” 
Of the great success which is likely to 
crown the endeavours of those who have: 
zeal enough to give; not merely their 
money, but their time, and personal atten- 
tion to this object, the author speaks in- 
the following very satisfactory terms ; 
and from all that we can collect, se hasa 
good right so to speak. 
«© About the same time I inoculated a 
child of a wet nurse, who was suckling the 
child of Mr. Bourne, whose case is before 
mentioned. Anxious to propagate the prac- 
tice, and to render it popular; anxious also 
to acquire all the knowledge I possibly could, © 
of the nature and treatment of a disease on 
which I proposed to write, I embraced every 
opportunity of recommending this inocula-_ 
tion, and spared no pains in persuading the 
parents of children, who had not had the 
small-pox, ta comply with my advice. ‘This. 
child was at nurse in York-street, Newing- 
ton-cayseway; and the woman who had the 
care of her neglecting to bring her to me, [I 
