204 DISEASES CLASS II. i. 3. 9; 



render the difeafe mild by the fame author. Exper. on Mercu- 

 ry by Van Woenfel, tranflated by Dr. Fowle, Salifbury. 



C .DefFarts, in the fitting of the French national inftitute is faid 

 to have adduced a number of fads to prove, that the natural 

 fmall-pox is rendered much milder by the ufe of mercurial rem- 

 edies ; which I fuppofe is probably true, as mercurials increafe 

 the abforption in many other ulcers, and confequently diminifh 

 the acrimony of the matter, and forward their healing. 



Variola incculata. The world is much indebted to the great 

 difcoverer of the good effects of inoculation, whofe name is un- 

 known ; and our own country to lady Wortley Montague for 

 its introduction into this part of Europe. By inferting the vario- 

 3ous contagion into the arm, it is not received by the tonfils, as 

 generally happens, I fuppofe, in the natural fmall-pox ; whence 

 there is no dangerous fwelling of the throat, and as the puftules 

 are generally few and diftincl:, there is feldom any fecondary 

 fever ; whence thofe two fources of danger are precluded 5 

 hence when the throat in inoculated fmall-pox is much infla- 

 med and fwelled, there is reafon to believe, that the difeafe had 

 been previoufly taken by the tonfils in the natural way : which 

 alfo, I fuppofe, has generally happened, where the confluent 

 kind of fmall-pox has occurred on inoculation. 



I have known two inftances, and have heard of others, where 

 the natural fmall-pox began fourteen days after the contagion 

 had been received ; one of thefe inftances was of a countryman, 

 who went to a market-town many miles from his home, where 

 he faw a perfon in the fmall-pox, and on returning the fever 

 commenced that day fortnight : the other was of a child, whom 

 the ignorant mother carried to another child ill of the fmall-pox, 

 on purpofe to communicate the difeafe to it ; and the variolous 

 fever began on the fourteenth day from that time. So that in 

 both thefe cafes fever commenced in half a lunation after the 

 contagion was received. In the inoculated fmall-pox the fever 

 generally commences on the feventh day ; or after a quarter of 

 a lunation ; and on this circumftance probably depends the 

 greater mildnefs of the latter. The reafon of which is difficult 

 to comprehend ; but fuppofing the facts to be generally as above 

 related, the flower progrefs of the contagion indicates a greater 

 inirritability of the fyftem, and in confequence a tendency to 

 malignant rather than to inflammatory fever. This difference of 

 the time between the reception of the infection and the fever in 

 the natural and artificial fmall-pox may neverthelefs depend on 

 its being inferted into a different feries of veffels ; or to fome un- 

 known effect of lunar periods. It is a fubject of great curiofity, 

 and defervcs further inveftigation. 



Whca 



