Dr. Murray on Vaccination. 341 



jjaithed, with great thirst, and her pulse and breathing 

 extremely quick. Forgetting her re-vaccination at the mo- 

 ment, I was alarmed, but on recollecting it, and attributing 

 the fever to this as its rnost probable cause, I was rather 

 pleased to find such a degree of constitutional disturbance 

 present, considering it as her future safeguard against Siuall- 

 Pox, to which it must be supposed she would otherwise have 

 l)een liable. 



The efficacy of the Vaccination which has been practised in 

 this Culony has not been much put to the test, in consequence 

 of the absence of Small -Pox, wjiich has never indeed been 

 known to appear as an Epidemic (its most infectious form) in 

 this part of Southern Africa. We learn from the Colonial 

 'Records that it has existed and spread here to a certain extent, 

 at diflerent periods ; but its. introduction was distinctly traced, 

 each time, to imported contagion. The last time it appeared 

 in the Colony was in 1812, (twenty-two years ago,) when it 

 was introduced from ia Slave Ship by some Prize Negroes 

 labourinf; under it, the Medical Gentlemen appointed to inspect 

 them before lauding, haying unfortunately mistaken the disease 

 for Chicken-Pox ; it then spread to a considerable extent, in a 

 cont'jgioDS or infectious manner, but did not become Epidemic. 



The following Extract oi' a I^etter from Mr. T. K. Deane, the 

 ^Secretary of the Caj)e Vac-cine Institution, in answer to some 

 inquiries I made respecting SmaU-Pox and Vaccination in this 

 Colony, is of considerable interest in regard to several points: 



" From the time that the Sniall-Pox last broke out here, viz. 

 on the loth March 1812, (exactly 11 months after the establish- 

 ment of the Vaccine Institution,) till the month of .July 

 4ollowing, when it finally subsided, 240 persons became affected 

 with it, nearly one half of whom died, as the disease was gene- 

 rally of the most virulent kind." 



" The good effects of vaccination were perhaps never more 

 -conspicuously showa than at the Cape during this period, for 

 out of the whole population, only the number above stated took 

 Small-Pox ; and, considering the way in which the Slaves, 

 Malays, and Free-blacks live together, generally from 15 to 20 

 individuals in one small house, without proper ventilation, or 

 much regard to cleanliness, it is rather to be wondered at that 

 <iie disease was got under so readily. 



" In one small cellar wliich was visited by the Vaccine Com- 

 mittee, in consequence of Small-Pox having been reported to 

 have made its appearance in it, 27 Malays were found congre- 

 gated together, and out of these, three were labouring under 

 the disease, which they were endeavouring to conceal for fear 

 of Ijeing sent to the Hospital ; the remainder were immediately 

 vaccinated, and kept under observation ; and of them 11 more 

 b'.c-'.mc allccted with SmiiU-Pox, and 13 took Cow-Pox and 



