194 EDWARD JENNER 



last three weeks or more, and remarked that the smell of 

 his hands was much like that of the horses's heels. On the 

 5th of April I again saw him, and found him still complain- 

 ing of pain in both hands, nor were his febrile symptoms 

 at all relieved. The ulcers had now spread to the size of 

 a seven-shilling gold coin, and another ulcer, which I had 

 not noticed before, appeared on the first joint of the fore- 

 finger of the left hand, equally painful with that on the 

 right. I ordered him to bathe his hands in warm bran and 

 water, applied escharotics to the ulcers, and wrapped his 

 hands up in a soft cataplasm. The next day he was much 

 relieved, and in something more than a fortnight got well. 

 He lost his nails from the thumb and fingers that were 

 ulcerated." 



The sudden disappearance of the symptoms in this case 

 after the application of the escharotics to the sores is worthy 

 of observation ; it seems to show that they were kept up by 

 the irritation of the ulcers. 



The general symptoms which I have already described 

 of the cow-pox, when communicated in a casual way to any 

 great extent, will, I am convinced, from the many cases I 

 have seen, be found accurate; but from the very slight in- 

 disposition which ensues in cases of inoculation, where the 

 pustule, after affecting the constitution, quickly runs into 

 a scab spontaneously, or is artificially suppressed by some 

 proper application, I am induced to believe that the violence 

 of the symptoms may be ascribed to the inflammation and 

 irritation of the ulcers (when ulceration takes place to 

 any extent, as in the casual cow-pox), and that the consti- 

 tutional symptoms which appear during the presence of the 

 sore, while it assumes the character of a pustule only, are 

 felt but in a very trifling degree. This mild affection of the 

 system happens when the disease makes but a slight local 

 impression on those who have been accidentally infected 

 by cows; and, as far as I have seen, it has uniformly hap- 

 pened among those who have been inoculated, when a 

 pustule only and no great degree of inflammation or any 

 ulceration has taken place from the inoculation. The fol- 

 lowing cases will strengthen this opinion. 



The cow-pox appeared at a farm in the village of Stone- 





