AEEKNETHY AND JOHN PHILPOT CUP.EAN. 



LADY MONTAGU'S RESIDENCE IN TUR- 

 KEY, AND INTRODUCTION OF INO- 

 CULATION INTO BRITAIN. 



The heat of Constantinople, dur- 

 ing the summer months, is excessive, 

 and the European embassies usually 

 retire to the shores of the Bospho- 

 rus, or the 'village of Belgrade, 

 about fourteen miles distant. In 

 these delicious shades, and most 

 beautiful forest scenery, Lady Mary 

 happy to pass her days. No 

 iish traveller visits Belgrade 

 out participating in her plea- 

 sure in her description, and inquir- 

 ing after the site of her residence. 

 At present no part of the house 

 remains, for such is the fragility of 

 Turkich structures, excepting their 

 mosques, that they seldom last a 

 century. 



There was a custom prevalent 

 among the villagers, and, indeed, 

 universal in the Turkish dominions, 

 h she examined with philoso- 

 phical curiosity, and at length be- 

 i >. perfectly satisfied with its 

 icy. It was that of ingrafting, 

 or, as it is now called, inoculating 

 with variolous matter, hi order to 

 produce a milder disease, and to 

 prevent the ravages made by the 

 small-pox on the lives and beauty 

 of European patients. The process 

 was simple, and she did not hesi- 

 to apply it to her son, at that 

 time about three years old. This 

 was in March, 1717. 



National gratitude, if directed by 

 justice, will not overlook, in fa- 

 vour of more recent discoveries, the 

 ;tion to Lady Mary 

 Wortley Montagu, for the introduc- 

 tion of the art of inoculation into 

 this kingdom. Mr. Maitland, who 

 had attended the embassy in a 

 medical character, first endeavoured 

 to establish the practice of it in Lon- 

 don, and was encouraged by her 

 patronage. In 1721, as its expedi- 

 ency had been much agitated among 

 scientific men, an experiment, to be 



[ sanctioned by the College of Physi- 

 cians, was allowed by Government. 

 Five persons, under condemnation, 

 willingly encountered the danger 

 with the hopes of life. Upon four 

 of them the eruption appeared on 

 the seventh day ; the fifth was a 

 woman, on whom it never appeared, 

 but she confessed that she had it 

 when an infant. With so much 

 ardour did Lady Mary enforce this 

 salutary innovation among mothers 

 of her own rank in life, that, as we 

 find in her letters, much of her time 

 was necessarily dedicated to various 

 consultations, and in superintending 

 the success of her plan. (Memoirs 

 by Dallaway.) 



ABERNETHT AND JOHN PHILPOT 

 CURRAN. 



A curious scene once took place 

 betw.een Abernethy and the famous 

 John Philpot Curran. Mr. Curran 

 being personally unknown to Mr. 

 Abernethy, had visited him repeat- 

 edly without having had an oppor- 

 tunity of explaining to the surgeon 

 so fully as he thought necessary 

 the nature of his malady. At last 

 he determined on obtaining a hear- 

 ing, and fixing his keen dark eye 

 on the "doctor," he said, "Mr. 

 Abernethy, I have been here on 

 eight . different days, and I have 

 paid you eight different guineas; 

 but you have never yet listened to 

 the symptoms of my complaint. I 

 am resolved, sir, not to leave this 

 room till you satisfy me by doing 

 so." Sti'uck by his manner, Mr. 

 Abernethy threw himself back in 

 his chair, and assuming the posture 

 of an indefatigable listener, replied 

 in a tone of half humour, half sar- 

 casm, "O, very well, sir! I am 

 ready to hear you out ; go on : give 

 me the whole, your birth, parentage, 

 and education: I wait your plea- 

 sure ; go on." Upon which, Curran, 

 not a whit disconcerted, gravely 

 began : "My name is John Philpot 

 Curran. My parents were poor, 



