184 Vaccine Inoculation. 



Dr. Heberden's Evidence. 



Pr. Heberdcn, being called to fpeak to the (latement made 

 as above wiilltn, laid, " That all he knew upon the fubjett 

 \vn?, about three years ago Dr. Lind, of Windlor, mentioned 

 to him, in converfation, there was living, near Windfor, a 

 young man, apprentice to an apothecary, who, when a child, 

 vas inoculated with vaccine matter by his father, who was 

 an apothecary in the weft of England. Wilh refpeft to Mr. 

 Battifcombe he could not fpeak, having heard nothing of it."^ 

 — On this extract, from the minutes of the committee of the 

 houfe of commons, the following remarks have been pub-, 

 lifhed : " In his (Dr. Pearfon's) examination of the 14th 

 (April) the authority of Dr. Heberden is made ufe of to 

 prove what on that gentleman's examination was J'oinid 

 completely erroneous, for he could not fpeak to ivhat Dr. Pear- 

 fon afferled he could; and of l\lr. Battfcovibe he had no know- 

 ledge. On this it is unneceflary to make any comment; the 

 conclufion muft be obvious." 



Thefe aflfertions, made from the words of Dr. Heberden's 

 evidence, muft appear unwarrantable by merely publifhiiig 

 this gentleman's explanation fubjoined, obliginglv commu- 

 nicated at the requeft of Dr. Pearfon, who is confcious that 

 he had been fufficiently correft in the ftatement above o-iveii 

 on the authority of Dr. Heberden. 



"Dr. Heberden acquiefccs in the correftnefs of his printed 

 evidence, with the addition of only two words, viz. " having 

 heard nothing of ity?-ow him." In fa£t, Dr. Heberden was 

 acquainted with Mr. Battifcombe, but received his informa- 

 tioi*i refpefting the vaccine inoculation from another quarter. 

 Still it is true, that when Dr. Heberden mentioned the cir- 

 cuniftance to Dr. Pearfon upon Dr. Lind's authority, he cor- 

 roborated his ftatement by adding, that Dr. Gifborne had 

 been made acquainted with the fame account through Mr. 

 Battifcombe. So that Dr. Heberden may, in effeft, be faid 

 to have related the circumftance to Dr. Pearfon upon the 

 imitcd tcftimony of Dr. Lind and Mr. Battifcombe ; though, 

 his information in the latter cafe not having been derived 

 immediately from that gentleman, he could not, with pro- 

 priety, prdduce to the committee the authority ^f Mr. Bat- 

 tifcombe for what he had heard upon the fubjeft." 



Mow to inoculate fcveral hundred Perfons -with the Matter 

 of a fingle ordinary Vaccine Peck. 



A member of the Vaccine Inftitution mixed the fluid af 

 a. fingle cow-pock with a drachm meafure of water of about 



the 



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