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L. Report of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinlurgk 

 on Vaccination*. 



SIR, Edinburgh, March 3d, 1807. 



1 HE practice of vaccine inoculation, both in private, and 

 at the Vaccine Institution estahlished here in 1801, is in- 

 rreasing so rapidly, that for two or three years past, the 

 small pox has been reckoned rather a rare occurrence, even 

 amongst the lower niders of the inhabitants of this city, un- 

 less in some particular quarters about twelve months ago; 

 and, among the higher ranks of the inhabitants, the disease 

 is unknown. 



The members of the Royal College of Surgeons have 

 much pleasure iu reporting, that, as far as their experience 

 goes, they have no doubt of the permanent security against 

 the small pox which is produced by the constitutional af- 

 fection of the cow pox ; and that such has hitherto been their 

 success in vaccination, as also to gain for it the confidence 

 of the public, insomuch that they have not been required, 

 for some years past, to inoculate any person with small pox 

 who had not previously undergone the inoculation with the 

 cow pox. 



The members of the royal college have met with no oc- 

 currence in their practice of cow pox inoculation which 

 could operate in their minds to its disadvantage, and they 

 beg leave particularly to notice, that they have seen no in- 

 stance of obstinate eruptions, or of new and dangerous dis- 

 eases, which they could attribute to the introduction among 

 mankind of this mild preventive of small pox. The Royal 

 College of Surgeons know of no causes which have hitherto 

 retarded the adoption of vaccine inoculation here ; on the 

 contrary, the practice has become general within this city : 

 and from many thousand packets of vaccine matter having 

 been sent by the members of the Royal College, and the Vac- 

 cine Institution here, to all parts of the country, the Royal 

 College have reason to believe that the practice has been as 

 g^cncrally adopted throughout this part of the United King- 



* from the House of Commons printed Report of 8th July 1807. 



dom 



