Dr. Murray on Vaccination. 343 



years of age when vaccinated in 1803, when the Cow -Pox Vims 

 was first introduced into this colony, and who have subsequently 

 gone to Europe, &c. not one has ever become affected with 

 Sniall-Pox as far as 1 know, and the inimber that I have 

 ascertained to have been put to this proof is 61 ; and one of 

 them is a Physician, who had just returned from Europe when 

 the Small-Pox broke out here in 1812, and who was placed in 

 charge of one of the Small-Pox Hospitals then established iu 

 Cape Town. 



" I would also mention, that wlien Small-Pox made its 

 appearance in 1812, fifty-four government Slaves were re- 

 vaccinated here as a precautionary measure, although they 

 had all been subjected to the operation the first time the Virus 

 was introduced, in 1803, when they had already attained the 

 age of puberty ; and in no instance did the second vaccination 

 take cflect, nor did any of them become affected with Small- 

 Pox, although they were on several occasions exposed to its 

 contagion.'' 



The information contained in the above extract, tends in no 

 small degree to confirm my opinion, that J'acciuation luill 

 generally be found more ccrtainhj efficacious if performed after 

 the period of early infancy ; and, in addition to the other facts 

 and reasoning I have brought forward upon this point, I would 

 advert to the circumstances by which the protective virtue of 

 Cow-Pox was first discovered ; and upon which ])ublic confi- 

 dence in it was originally founded and established ; which 

 were, — that a certain pustulary or vesicular disease occasionally 

 to be met with on the teats or udders of Cows, was found to be 

 communicable to the hands of the dairy-maids who were 

 employed in milking them, and that the persons who became 

 thus alTected with it were for ever afterwards insusceptible of 

 Small-Pox, whether they were inoculated with its Virus, or 

 exposed to its epidemic or contagious influence ; and it is not 

 to be overlooked, that these persons must necessarily have been 

 beyond the age of infancy before they could ha\e milked cows. 



This notion of the probable constitutional insusceptibility of 

 infants to the Vaccine disease, was referred, amongst others, 

 to the late Mr. Bruce, Surgeon of the Royal Military Assylum; 

 and to Dr. Gregory, of the London Small- Pox Hospital, both 

 men of great experience in Vaccination, and their opinions 

 upon it were transmitted to me. 



The purport of Mr. Bruce's observations was, " that young 

 children do not suffer by disturbance in the constitution, from 

 vaccination, so much as older subjects, and that although he 

 had seen the vaccine virus inserted into very young cliildrcn, 

 by sometimes as many as 10 or 11 punctures in one ciiild, very 

 little commotion of the system has hccu the result ; whereas in 

 adults, the constitution invariably feels more; — he was inclined, 



