134 



INOCULATI'ON. 



Variolous f or receiving them when the disease appeared, and a 

 pocuUtJop. thinl in L ower street, Islington, for patients labouring 



under natural small-pox. 



Method of The opinions which then existed on the necessity of 

 iMlHctinR a lon g preparatory course of medicine rendered the 

 n> business of this charity tedious and expensive. The pa- 

 tients were subjected to this process for a whole month ; 

 and, that they might not be exposed in the interim 

 to any casual infection, a great number was inoculated 

 on 'the same day, and no inoculation was performed till 

 these were removed from the house of preparation, and 

 the house subjected to a process of purification. Thus 

 the inoculations were only once in seven weeks, and 

 the patients were subjected to confinement for two 

 months. This institution had to contend with the pre- 

 judices of the populace, who regarded it as a source of 

 calamitous infection to the neighbourhood in whichit was 

 established, and insulted the patients in the grossestman- 

 ner as they passed along after theirtlismissal. Applica- 

 tion was even made to the Lord Chancellor to have it 

 suppressed as a nuisance. This of course proved effectual. 

 Inoculation Dr. Madox, Bishop of Worcester, who was made 

 triumphant, president of that institution, was a most zealous and 

 enlightened advocate of inoculation, and preached an 

 eloquent sermon in recommendation of it, exhibiting 

 a luminous contrast to the intemperate abuse which 

 Massey had poured on it thirty years before, and it so 

 happened, that it was delivered from the same pulpit. 

 It was afterwards published, and contributed consider- 

 ably to the promotion of the cause. It now made an 

 uninterrupted progress, though still opposed with equal 

 violence by a few individuals. Its friends watched as- 

 siduously the attacks of the enemy ; divines, as well as 

 physicians and surgeons, co-operated in vindicating and 

 recommending it, and all opposition ceased, except from 

 persons of very low character. 



In France, it made a similar progress, in which it 

 had to encounter opposition, which was apparently 

 formidable, but betrayed equal weakness and absurdi- 

 ty as that which we have already described. Dr. Hec- 

 quet expressed so great an antipathy to inoculation, as 

 to question the lawfulness of performing a certain ope- 

 ration which goes under that name on trees, and stig- 

 matised it as contrary to the laws of nature, and strong- 

 ly savouring of magic. 



In Holland, inoculation was begun at Amsterdam 

 in 17*8> by Dr. Tronchin, in his own family. It 

 was not, however, brought into general favour in that 

 country till 1764. It was afterwards greatly promoted 

 in the Low Countries by the favourable accounts of the 

 American inoculation, as given by Dr. Tennet, an 

 American student, in his Thesis published at Leyden, 

 in which he stated that of 8327 persons who had been 

 inoculated in Pensylvania and the neighbouring pro- 

 vinces, only 19 (making one in 438) had died. In 

 Denmark, it was introduced by Dr. D. Argent, and in 

 Sweden by Haartman. In both of these countries, its 

 progress was greatly accelerated by the paternal encou- 

 ragement of their respective courts. 



In Switzerland and Italy, it was introduced about 

 the year 1754. In Germany, it was begun at Hano- 

 ver almost as soon as in England. The Prussian and 

 Austrian states were the last in which it was received, 

 as it was opposed by De Haen of Vienna, and discour- 

 aged by the occurrence of three fatal cases in the begin- 

 ning of Professor Mechel's inoculations at Berlin. 



It was in 1768 that it was first known at St. Peters- 

 burgh, though the small pox had destroyed two millions 

 f persons annually in the Russian empire. In that year, 



History 

 of it in 

 t" ranee; 



in Hol- 

 land ; 



in Sititzti- 

 ln<l and 



Italy ; 



in Russia. 



it was established in the Russian dominions by Dr. Variolom 

 Dimsdale, who was sent from England for that express Inoculation, 

 purpose, and returned to* his native country loaded """Y~ 

 with wealth and honours for his services^ It was first 

 established in Spain in 1771, though it had been prac- 

 tised for many years before at ladrique, an obscure 

 town of that kingdom. 



The principal writings by which this subject was Principal 

 elucidated, in our country, were those of Dr. Kirkpat- ear 'y wri - 

 rick, Mr. Burgess, and Dr. Monro. Dr. Kirkpatrick te 

 published a second edition of his work, with large ad- nl 

 ditions, in 1761. In 1764, Dr. Monro published his 

 account of the inoculation of small-pox in Scotland. 

 The number then inoculated in this part of the kingdom, 

 was 5554, of whom 72 died, i. e. one in 7#. In the 

 most northern isles, 112 had been inoculated in the 

 middle of winter, and, though they went abroad bare- 

 footed in snow and ice, not one of them died. 



The public attention was long and powerfully excit- The Sutto- 

 ed by the Suttonian method of inoculation. This was "' 

 introduced by Daniel Sutton, an eminent surgeon in 

 Ingateston, Essex. It consisted chiefly in shortening 

 the period of medicinal preparation of the patients for 

 the operation, from a month to a few days, and in keep- 

 ing them in the open air during the whole progress of 

 the distemper. In this he succeeded to his wishes. 

 The advantages of his plan attracted so many patients, 

 that in the first year he cleared 2000, and in the se- 

 cond 6000 guineas by his fees. In 1767, he removed 

 to London, but did not meet with proportional encou- 

 ragement. The medical success of his practice was great- 

 ly exaggerated by his friends. It was maintained that 

 he had a secret medicine which gave him perfect com- 

 mand over the number of pustules produced, and ren- 

 dered the inoculation absolutely exempt from danger. 

 The few deaths which occurred were ascribed to causes 

 independent of the disease. His plan of preparation 

 consisted of abstinence from animal food and fermented 

 liquors for a fortnight. A dose of a powder, which ap- 

 pears to have been mercurial, was given three several 

 evenings during this fortnight, and next day a dose of 

 cathartic salts, during the operation of which (and then 

 only) fruit was prohibited. The months of May, June, 

 July, and August, were preferred as the most seasonable 

 for the inoculation of delicate 'subjects. The autumn 

 was reckoned the most unfavourable season ; and aguish 

 habits the least safe. Scorbutic constitutions he consi- 

 ed as not objectionable. He inoculated with recent 

 moist matter, introduced under a piece of elevated cu- 

 ticle ; and he is said to have often inoculated with a 

 lymph taken from the arm of another inoculated pa- 

 tient, before the eruption of the small-pox. A pill was 

 given on the night following the operation, and every 

 second night till the eruptive fever made its appearance. . 

 The same diet used during preparation, was continued 

 in the course of the disease. During the- fever, if there 

 was no perspiration, drops were administered which 

 brought on profuse sweating. In cases of high fever', he 

 gave a powerful powder or pill, the composition of 

 which he concealed ; cold water to allay dry febrile heat; 

 and balm tea during the desired perspiration. When 

 the sweat abated, and the eruption appeared, he or- 

 dered exercise in the open air, and milk gruel in unli 

 mited quantity. The diet was kept low in proportion 

 to the symptoms of local inflammation. Sir George 

 Baker, who interested himself in some inquiries into 

 the Suttonian practice, ascribed the success attending 

 it chiefly to the free and cool air, which formed part of 

 the regimen, and corresponded with the plan, which 



