1817.]J Scientific Intelligence. 405 
town, in South Carolina.” Reference is also given to the Phil. 
Mag. vol. xvi. p. 252, for the particulars of the vaccination of one 
individual in the winter of 1799 by Dr. C. 
Nothing can be further from my wish than to attribute that to 
any individual which does not appear to be justly his due; and had 
[ not been informed by the highest authority on this subject, that 
Dr. Lettsom had been the first to transmit to America this inesti- 
mable treasure, I certainly should not have ventured to state it in my 
publication. The notice of your correspondent has, however, in= 
duced me to examine a number of letters written by Dr. Water- 
house to Dr. Lettsom, and the notes of letters transmitted by Dr. 
Lettsom to Dr. Waterhouse, to be convinced of the truth or error of 
the statement I have made. From this examination I am free to 
confess that Dr. L. does not appear to have first sent the vaccine 
lymph across the Atlantic. I subjoin extracts from these letters, 
that your readers may draw their own conclusion with respect to 
dates. I cannot, however, forbear expressing some degree of sur- 
prise that the practice of vaccination was not followed up by Dr. 
Chichester ; for it is rather singular that no mention of his name 
occurs but in the statement contained in the Phil. Mag., unless it 
be in the writings of Dr. George Pearson, which I happen not to. 
be in possession of, and to which it is at present not in my power to 
refer. Dr. Waterhouse, on the contrary, is frequently alluded to 
by various writers. He was the active promoter of the practice in 
America; the person to whom the members of the government 
applied for lymph, and for directions for its use, and to whom also 
his professional brethren looked for information on this subject. He 
seems also, from the following extracts, justly to feel the responsi- 
bility of his situation on the occasion. If, therefore, Dr. W. was 
not the first (which, I confess, appears to me doubtful) who vacci- 
nated in America, it is but due to admit that it was by him that the 
practice spread through, and was finally established in, the United 
States. 
(Dr. W. to Dr. L.) 
Cambridge, April 10, 1799. 
“ I received with great satisfaction your letter of the 24th Nov. 
with Dr. Jenner’s and Dr. Pearson’s publications on a new, curious, 
and extremely important disease. I directly threw an account of it 
into the newspapers, a copy of which I here enclose. I should be 
highly gratified by more information respecting this epizoatic dis- 
order, and of further trials on the human kind. As such a dis- 
temper has never been heard of in this country, it excites the public 
curiosity as much as any thing that has occurred in the medical line 
since my remembrance.” 
Nov. 14, 1799. 
“ T here enclose a letter for Dr. Woodwille, as it is making the 
same request I did to you respecting some cow-pox matter.* [ 
* From this passage it seems probable that Dr. W. had previously solicited 
vaccine lymph from Dr. L. No letter, however, containing a request of this 
kind is preserved, 
