Letter from Dr. Thornlon on tin: Caw-Pur. 37 



inoculates with the small-pox, is guilty, it" not in a criminal 

 court, yet in foro consclcnt'icc, should that child die, of 

 murder*." Whether he should die or not, I believe the 

 same serious charge would apply ; for, as the inoculated 

 small-pox produces the natural sniall-pox, and pestilence 

 spreads by an hundred avenues, and each contagion be- 

 comes a fresh focus of other infections, the seennng kind- 

 ness granted to one human beina: is made ihc destruction 

 oi' 7}iu/ii/ ; and this fact staring the practitioner in the face, 

 he must be callous to all the feelings of humanity should 

 he attempt, after knowing the mildness and certainty of 

 the cow-pock, (except for experiment,) variolous inocula- 

 tion ; and as Fourcroy stronglv expresses himself with re- 

 gard to piietanatic medicine, so it may be said here, '' It 

 is now no longer permitted the practitioner to be ignorant 

 of the circunibtances attending such an important revolu- 

 tion in physic. The cold statue-like insensibility of some ; 

 the affected indifference of others ; the irritated self-love of 

 this man ; the attachment of the world for the practice of 

 their forefathers ; the hatred of novelty ; all the low and 

 vulgar prejudices have at different times assailed this disco-^ 

 very : but it will stand as a rock against the inipotent bil- 

 lo«ts of human passions," and the superior sense of the 

 philosophic world will overcome the sophistry of prejudices, 

 and truth finally reign triumphant. 



It is now evident that the small- pox has greatly decreased, 

 and in a few years, most probablv, will be annihilated ; 

 for although it assumes an hydra shape, yet, wanting fuel 

 for support, this tremendous y/e//^/ must finallv perish from 

 the earth, and the cow-pox, like St. George and the Dra- 

 gon, be the proudest emblazonment in the British heraldry. 



In proof, in part, of this position, I shall beg leave to ex- 

 tract for you my experience in the North of England. 



'' The facts are so di;ci.'ivf in favour of the cow-pock, that the practi- 

 tioner should listen to these ; nor heartccn to the evidence of a contrary 

 nature without suspicion of some »//?/..•<« j having occurred. At the onset 

 my learned friend Dr. Moselcy did right to arrest the hurry of bchef, and 

 impress caution : but that time ia passed, and each fair practitioner is 

 bound in duty to determine now respecting this discovery. As to myself, 

 1 have inoculated many thousands without ever taking any remuneration 

 whatever for my trouble, and still continue the practice to this day on 

 others and in my own family; and no indiiccmcnt under the heavens could 

 at this time m ikc n^u so sweive from the principles of rectitude as to in- 

 oculate with the s?nni'l-jiox. If the word committing mnnin docs sound 

 harsh, it is still uich in fact, notwithstanding the licence which the me- 

 dical man receives, and sliould, J think, be thundered into the car of some 

 few of the faculty. 1 know vtuny of the satnc way of thinking in this 

 respect with my.tlf. 



C. 3 Inoculation 



