Progress of Vaccination in Ireland. 53 



IX. Notice of the Progress of Vaccination in Ireland, 

 In a Letter from Dr. Patterson to the Editor. 



VACCINATION, although gaining ground in 

 this part of Ireland, is not as general as it ought to be» 

 owing partly to prejudice, and partly to the want of an 

 institution for keeping up a stock of vaccine matter. 

 Shortly after I introduced the practice here, in April, 

 1801, I attempted to establish a public institution for 

 this purpose ; but I was unluckily defeated by the ma- 

 chinations of the ignorant, the prejudiced, and the sel- 

 fish descriptions of the community. However, it is 

 practised in that degree, in this city (Derry), that it has 

 rebuked the former prevalence of the small- pox amongst 

 \is, and of course lessened their mortality when they do 

 appear, which is now rather partially. But in the sur- 

 rounding country, where inoculation of either kinds is 

 not sufficiently cultivated, the small-pox has been, since 

 this time twelvemonth, very predominant, often severe, 

 and sometimes fatal. 



Notwithstanding the generally slow advance of vacci- 

 nation in Ireland, the reports of certain public associa- 

 tions, namely, that the practice has not been embraced, 

 in this country, with the zeal which its character merits, 

 is quite too general a charge. For, in some districts, 

 even country gentlemen have, with presumed success, ino- 

 culated numbersof children, who were brought in groupes 

 to their country-seats for that purpose ; and, in some piirts 

 of Ireland, the practice was adopted, by medical practition- 

 ers, somewhat earlier than I introd\iced it into Deiry. 



