Historical sketch on Immunity 507 



England and in Holland, a disease against which it has been 

 recognised that remedies are powerless. 



The inoculation of the variolous virus into the healthy human [530] 

 subject, which comes into the same category as the inoculation of the 

 pleuropneumonic virus into healthy bovine animals, is also a widely 

 extended and very ancient method. The Chinese 1 assert that they 

 have known from the commencement of the llth century the method 

 of immunising against small-pox. Amongst them, as amongst the 

 Siamese, the matter from the variolous scab is introduced into the 

 nostrils. In Persia variolisation is practised by surgeons and by the 

 staffs of bathing establishments, who introduce the powdered scabs 

 into scratches in the skin. The Ashantis inoculate the variolous virus 

 into seven places on the arms and legs. According to the account 

 of Timoni, a Greek physician practising in Constantinople in the first 

 half of the 18th century, the Circassians and Georgians, intent upon 

 preserving the beauty of their daughters, make punctures at various 

 points in the skin, with needles charged with variolous virus. Every- 

 body is acquainted with the fact that it was from Constantinople 

 that Lady Mary Wortley Montague at the same period (1721), im- 

 ported into Europe "the Greek method," which consisted in the 

 inoculation of the contents of small-pox pustules with the object of 

 producing a benign small-pox and of protecting the vaccinated 

 person from severe and dangerous small-pox. This practice was 

 widespread in Europe during the second half of the 18th century, 

 but as it was not unattended by serious drawbacks an attempt was 

 made to avoid them by the employment of all kinds of medica- 

 ments. As these, however, were found to be entirely ineffective, the 

 need was felt of replacing variolisation by some more benign method. 



It is asserted 2 that in Baluchistan the custom of having cows 

 suffering from cow-pox milked by children who had wounds on their 

 hands has been widespread from time immemorial. This practice 

 conferred upon these children an immunity against small-pox. It 

 cannot be denied that the idea of being able to vaccinate with cow- 

 pox was common knowledge amongst breeders and dairymen in several 

 countries in Europe, especially in England, France, and Germany. 

 It is stated that Edward Jenner learnt from the country people of 

 his native county of Gloucestershire that contact with cow-pox 



1 Barthels, "Die Medicin der Naturvolker," Leipzig, 1893, S. 128; Pagel, "Bin- 

 fuhrung in die Geschichte der Medicin," Berlin, 1898, S. 313. 



2 Haser, "Lehrbuch der Geschichte der Medicin," 3te Atifl., Jena, 188) , Bd, ir. 

 S. 1075. 



