211 CouLbniulion of the Cumparisori of the 



the child grow.-; feverish, dull, and comatose ; his stomach 

 is disordered ; his bowels are oppressed with wind; and if 

 his belly be constipated, he falls into convulsions. On. the 

 other hand, if thev are excessive, a diarrhtea is produced ; 

 aplilhce and severe gripes succeed ; and the violent irritation 

 seldom fails to occasion epileptic fits. From this short view 

 of the fir?t period of infancy, I think it must appear evi- 

 dent that inoculation is ill adapted to that tender season of 

 liic. Nature, feeble and irritable as she then is, can scarcely 

 struggle with the diseases to which she is ordinarily ex- 

 posed. It is therefore equally cruel and unjust to add to 

 the number with which she is already oppressed. For it 

 ^is demonstrable frcmi the bills of mortality that two-thirds 

 of all who are born, live not to be two years old ; and I 

 think it is more than probable, that a considerable propor- 

 tion of these die under the age of six weeks. 



The fears and anxiety of the mother, excited at a 

 time when her strength hath been exhausted by the pains 

 oi labour, and when every uneasy impression should be 

 cautiously avoided, cannot fail to injure her milk. And 

 this iij a powerful objection to the early inoculation of in- 

 fants. If a hired nurse be employed, her milk may disagree 

 with the child : she may fall into sontc disease during the 

 time of inoculation, may be iiuilty of excess in eating or 

 drinking, or may be under the influence of violent passions ; 

 each of which will atrgravate the svmptoms and increase the 

 danger of the artilicial distemper under which the infant 

 has to labour. 



" It hath been observed by a verv able and experienced 

 practitioner, that young children have usually a larger 

 share of pustules from inoculation than those who are a 

 little further advanced in life ; and that, from this circum- 

 stance, so manv have died as U) discourage the practice 

 of ingrafting the small-pox on such delicate subjects. This 

 fact is not easy to be explained. Whether the greater irri- 

 tability of infants subjects them to be more affected with the 

 variolous muismaih^w children of two or three years old ; 

 or whether the larger eruption, to which they are liable, be 

 owing to the proportionablv greater quantity of their fluids, 

 I will not presume to «letermiue. lioth causes may possi- 

 bly conspire to produce this effect ; the former, by exciting 

 a quicker and increased contraction of the heart and vascu- 

 lar system ; the latter, bv atfordihg a moic copious pahuluni 

 ior the variolous ferment. Bv the same principles we may 

 perhaps account for the greater virulence of several otlitr 

 1 eruption,? 



A 



