274 Original Vaccine Pock Institution, 



tion for the cow-pock is equally efficacious to that For the 

 .small-pox. 2. That the failures are in every instance im .• 

 putable to unskilfulness, ignorance, or inattention. It is 

 however easy to conceive, that in places of small population, 

 or in places where the small-pox is neither epidemical, nor 

 where persons inoculated for that disorder are allowed to 

 live with children who have been vaccinated, or to have in- 

 tercourse with society at large, the natural small-pox may 

 not appear for many years, and with some precautions may 

 be, perhaps, extinguished. In such circumstances many 

 lives may be saved. In London, the population being «o 

 considerable — persons having greater liberty to act according 

 to their own opinion — and having been much influenced by 

 writers, opposers to the cow-pock inoculation— also the va- 

 riola having been highly epidemical, it is, I think, obvious 

 that such circumstances must excite the small -pox in a large 

 proportion of susceptible persons. This is what happened 

 in the year 1805, and it is perhaps fortunate for the public 

 that the variolous infection was disseminated, as but for that 

 circumstance the state of insecurity might not have been 

 made appear. The two cases which have induced a change 

 in our opinion were those of Anne Maber, No. 33, and 

 Mary Maber, No. 34, on Dr. Nihell's list, who, as appears 

 from the register, underwent the regular cow-pock in the 

 year 1800. In May 1806, living in the same room with a 

 child in the inoculated small-pox, they took the small-pox, 

 as allowed by the members at the board, before whom they 

 were examined. The medical establishment were now con- 

 vinced that, many of the cases published, as cases of the 

 small-pox after the cow-pock, were really such cases, al- 

 though not legally proved ; nor does it appear that any known 

 appearances or circumstances would have indicated the in- 

 security in our patients, the two Mabers. Accordingly, it 

 would not be jast conduct to withhold from the public, that 

 at present no one can be authenticated to be secure from the 

 small-pox by vaccine inoculation, unless the test be em- 

 ployed of reinoculation. Confiding in our experience, the 

 vaccine matter is equally to be relied upon as the variolous, 

 to afford the required proof; but those who may not be 

 acquainted with our experience will probably not bV satis- 

 fied, 



