Z'l6 Co/It iininliov of' the Coinparisoli of the 



** that a very young infant, sucking at tlic breast, is the fit- 

 test su'ojtet for inoculation ; and medical people have sonve 

 dilHcu'ity in persuading parents to ths- contrary. Children 

 are then said to be clear from humours, their blood mild 

 and balsamic, their food innocent, and thev are free from 

 all violent passion^ of the mind. But all these advantages 

 may be counterbalanced by the delicacv of their frame, 

 their disposilioi; to t-paau), and their inability to struggle 

 with a severe attack of the disease, if it should chance to 

 fall to their share. And such, indeed, are the facts : infants 

 may liave the ?niall-pox very lightly, whether taken natu- 

 rally or from inocuLuinn, though in both there are a few 

 instances of tlxir expiring in a fit at the time of the erup- 

 tion ; but they s;;ldom gel ihrougli the disease if they arc 

 full, or it prove of the confluent or malignant kind. And 

 this fitrnislies a peculiar objection to inoculating infants at 

 the breast, whicli arises from their necessarily lying so much 

 oil the arm of the mother or the wet-nur^c, CL-pccially in 

 tht night ; the h.eal exposing them to a much more copious 

 eruption than cliildrtn who are weaned. This I have seen 

 clearly exeniplilied iit the instanre of a child whose mother 

 I'ould suckle only wuh the rii'.iit breast; the consequence 

 was, that t!ic left side of the ciiild uas perfectiv loaded with 

 the eruption, (though the pock was of the distinct kind,) 

 V hil.-t the other had only a moderate sprinkling. The 

 child, however, S'lnk under the secondary feOcr at the end 

 of live or six weeks, though turned of two years old; the 

 cull/ child I have known to die of inoculation at so advanced 

 an age. A similar instance is related by Mr. Moss; v. ho 

 not beiuiT able to prevail on a vouns; v.oman, whom lu- had 

 inoculated, to keep her feet (which were verv cold) out of 

 the warm asSics of a hearth fire, at tht' time of the eruption ^ 

 thev wcr(*, in consequence, so loaded with it, as to appear 

 one continued blister ; thot'gh t!ie disease was very distinct, 

 and went on very favourably in other parts. 



" I am aware," he add-^, " that manv children are inocu- 

 lated vtrv yoimg, and even in the month, and generally with 

 very good success; but ihi iroiucncy of this practicCj among 

 eminent surr . -us, is owinir to the urgent solicitation of 

 parcn;s, and ilu'ir fear of contagion. I cannot therefore 

 avoid saying, that however lew may die under inoculation, 

 under any circumstances, the fact is, that the far greater 

 proportion that 1 haj)pen to have had an account of, is 

 amongst infant? under six months old. A reniarkable proof" 

 of this ulsprop(>rtion appeared la'cly under a general inocu- 



latioa 



