102 SMALL-POX IN SHKEP. 



ti) liave the rest of her children inoculated, and thus 

 protected aj^ainst similar misfortune. Further expe- 

 riments, however, became requisite to give her the 

 necessary degree of confidence ; and George the First 

 l)ardoned six condemned felons in consideration that, 

 for the good of the public, they should submit to be 

 inoculated. The surgeon refused to perform the ope- 

 ration, dreading a failure, and fearing to be stigmatized 

 for doing the work of the executioner ! 



" The statement of a physician who had been in 

 Constantinople, conveying the results of his observa- 

 tions, and his opinions on the practice, however, seem 

 to have quieted apprehension so far as to have carried 

 into effect her Royal Highness's wishes. Five of the 

 felons contracted the disease favourably ; the sixth was 

 not affected ; and a seventh escaped hanging on the 

 easy terms of having a few small-pox crusts thrust up 

 her nose. 



" It w^as next tried on eleven children of the parish 

 of St. James, who all did well : and, finally, the Prin- 

 cesses Amelia and Carolira underwent the operation 

 with the like results. As the practice from this time 

 began to spread, however, fatal cases occurred ; and in- 

 stead of inoculation proving to be entirely harmless, it 

 was found that in eiofht years 845 had been inoculated, 

 and 17 died, making one death in fifty inoculations*." 



In 1746 the Small-pox Hospital was established for 

 the reception of poor persons suffering from the disease, 

 and for the gratuitous inoculation of children and 

 those individuals who had hitherto escaped it. The 

 extension of the system became, however, a fruitful 



* Plumbe on Vaccination, p. 37 & seq. London, 1832. 



