Letter from Dr. Thornton on the Coxi'-Pox. 53 



Hence I had occasion to send down to Penrith the small- 

 pox matter between two pieces of glass for Mr. Storey, to 

 re-iuoculate the inhabitants of Lowther villagCj and his re- 

 port was as follows : 



" DEAU SIR, Peniith, Nov. 20th, 1801. 



" The glasses with the sraall-pox matter arrived safe, and 

 with considerable pleasure I set about re-inoculating those 

 persons who the last year had been inoculated by you with 

 the cow-pock in the village of Lowther; and I remarked, 

 ■with much satisfaction, that T found none whom I inocu- 

 lated to take the small-pox, the places of insertion of the 

 matter in a few days dying away. This makes the expcrl* 

 ment at Lowther Jcmii;^^*. It afforded much pleasure to 

 his lordship, who desires to be kindly remembered to you ; 

 and wishing vou, sir, all the rewards your great exertions 

 for the good of mankind, and advancement of sscienee, so 

 justly merit, 



*' J have the honour to be, &c. 



" Richard Storey." 



After such conclusive evidence in favour of the cow-pock, 

 little more appears necessary to be urged, had not some 

 seemingly contrary facts occurred about Portsmouth and in 

 London^ tending to raise a suspicion that the cow-pock 

 was not in every instance a preservative against the small- 

 pox. Of these cases in London, some have fallen to my 

 lot to notice ; and they arose from mistakes respecting the 

 nature of varicella, or the swine- or chicken-pox. Lately 

 two cases have appeared in Fulwood's Rents, \Ahere there 

 prevailed a ver^' general belief among the faculty that these 

 xvere cenuine cases of small-pox after vaccination. That 

 this was the fact. Dr. Pearson put the matter to the test of 

 experiment, and produced thereby the true small-pox ; and 

 tuo of his patients were afterwards tried by him with vari- 

 ^ious matter, and with cow-pock matter by me; both of 

 which were resisted. I am not, however, without suspicion; 

 but I declare ixiy opinion, with extreme dithdence, that 

 these two cases were, nevertheless, cases of variceHaf, whose 

 pustules were nuny of them contaminated with variolous 



• I propose sencli«g down maticr this year, 1804, and will inform the 

 jih'losopliic world of the result. 



t Tliis I otfcr only as a co/ijiclurf. I propose, if permitted, inocu- 

 lating Ann and Alary Hodges with the swint-pox ; .ind this will ascer- 

 tain tliis point. Mr. Pearson, surgeon, had liii chiiJrtn so inoculated, 

 atid witli success. 



D 3 matter. 



