INOCULATION. 



3721-, and the two fubfequent months, had inociJated with 

 ■fuccefs upwards of forty perfons at Halifax, in Yorkfliire. 

 This relation influenced the public very confiderably in favour 

 of the new mode of communicating the fmall-pox. 



Early in the fpring of the year 1722, inoculation began 

 to be adopted in vai-ious parts of England ; and by order of 

 her royal highnefs the princefs of Wales, it was praftifed 

 firft upon fix, and afterwards upon five charity children, be- 

 longing to the parilh of St. James's. The fuccefs of thefe 

 trials induced her royal highnefs to have the princefles Ame- 

 lia and Carohna inoculated on the nineteenth of April 1722, 

 by ferjeant furgeon Amyaud. Both thefe younger branches 

 of the royal family pafTed through die fmall-pox, in a very 

 favourable manner; and inoculation, in confequence of this 

 illuilrijus example, was now making a rapid progrefs : when 

 unfortunately the praftice received a great check, by the 

 death of the earl of Siuiderland's fon, and by that of lord 

 Bathurft's fervant, after being inoculated. A Mifs Rigby 

 alfo died, about eight weeks after her inoculation, making 

 the third death. Therefore, out of 182 inoculations, in 

 1721 and 1722, three died ; or nearly one in fixty. 



About the time when the firft death happened in London, 

 accounts were received in town. Hating that the praftice 

 had been tried to a much greater extent in New England. 

 It appears that, after an abfence of nineteen years, the 

 fmall-pox had broken out with a great mortality at Lofton, 

 in April 1721. This induced the Rev. Mr. Mather to pub- 

 lifh the account of inoculation, as related in the Philofophi- 

 cal Tranfaftions by Tinioni and Pylarini. This publication, 

 which was diftributed to all the medical praftitioners at that 

 place, was the means of inciting Dr. BovUlon to commence 

 the praAice of inoculation upon his own child, and two 

 negro fervants, at the latter end of June 1 721. In the 

 courfe of fix months, he inoculated in and about Bofton 

 2^4 perfo;;s. Of this number fix died. 



The reports wliich came from New England, were em- 

 ployed with great exaggeration by the opponents of inocu- 

 lation, who fci/.ed with avidity every circumftance that 

 might have the leall tendency to retard the progrefs of the 

 improvement. 



During 1723, the praftice of inoculation became much 

 more general in England, the number of inoculated this year 

 far exceeding the numbers in the two preceding years taken 

 together. It amounted to 292, which, added to 182, makes 

 tlie whole number of inoculations in the years 1721, 1722, 

 and 1723, to be 474, of which number, according to Dr. 

 Jurinj.nine died. 



It deferves notice, that leveral of thefe nine cafes were 

 not generally admitted as deaths altogether in confequence 

 of inoculation. But even allowing that they were fo, the 

 chance of recovering from the inoculated fmall-pox mull 

 appear infinitely greater than from the cafual. For it was 

 proved, that at this time, out of 14,559 perfons who had 

 been affected with the natural fmallpox, 235 1 died; nearly 

 one in fix, or five out of thirty-one. 



In 1724, there were only forty perfons inoculated. Their 

 royal highnciTcs prince Frederick and prince William, how- 

 ever, were in this fmall h(l. Dr. Jurin accounts for the 

 feeming dechne of inoculation this year, by the fa£t that peo- 

 ple will not eafily fubmit to a practice in which they appre- 

 hend rifle, unlefs' impelled by the dread of a greater danger. 

 Now it appears that in 1724, the natural fmall-pox was much 

 lefs fatal than in 1722 and 1723, and it is to this caufe v.e 

 are to refer the above fmall number of inoculations. That 

 tlrt; praftice had not fallen into difrepute is manifeft ; for Dr. 

 Jurin informs us that in 1725 the natural fmall-pox was very 

 jncrtal, and of courfe, people being frightened, refortcd to 



inoculation again in a larger number. Of the above-men- 

 tioned forty, one is recorded to have died. 



In 1725 and 1726, 256 perfons were inoculated, of which 

 number four died. 



In the years 1727 and 1728, the praftice of inoculation 

 did in reality begin to decline ; for, thou;(h the fmall-pox 

 was very prevalent and fatal, only 1 24 inoculations took place 

 in thefe two years, and three of the cafes proved fatal. 



We find that up to 1729, 897 perfons had been ino- 

 culated in England, of whom feventeen are reported to have 

 died. But on the other hand, the records faew, that of 

 18,229 P'-'''fons, who had been afi'eded with the natural 

 fmall-pox, during the firit eight years of inoculation, 3008 

 died under the difeafe ; or about one in fix ; whereas, the 

 deaths by inoculation, admitting the utmoll number con- 

 tended for, does not exceed one in fifty. 'I'lie rcafon why 

 more died of inoculation at this early period of the practice 

 tliaii has been the cafe of late years, is juftly afcribable to 

 the better manner lately adopted of treating jnocuhted pa- 

 tients. Befidos, formerly it was common to inoculate adults, 

 in \\ hom the difeafe is more difpofed to aflume a fevere form 

 than in children. 



Inoculation was not regularly praflifcd in Scotland till 

 the year 1726, when Mr. Maitlaiid performed tliis opera- 

 tion upon ten perfons ; but as one of theie cafes was un- 

 fuccefsful, the practice was difcontinued in that country for 

 twenty years afterwards, and was not revived again with- 

 out confidcrable difficulty. At Dumfries, indeed, where 

 the calual fmall-pox had committed great ravages, inocula- 

 tion was had recourfe to in 1753 ; but in moft other parts, 

 of North Britain the method was not introduced till 



In Ireland, inoculation was firft performed at Dublin in 

 1723. Twenty-five perfons were inoculated in that and the 

 three following years. Of this fmall number, tliree cafes 

 terminated fatally. 



Inoculation at Hanover was firft performed in 1724, by 

 Mr. Mailland, upon his royal highnefs prince Frederick, 

 and afterwards upon eight children of the Baron de Schulen- 

 berg. The example and fuccefs of thefe cafes had the effedl 

 of eftabhfliing the practice in that country. 



After 1729, inoculation was ferioufly on the decHne in 

 England; but it made confideiable progrefs in the tranfat- 

 lantic world. In South Carolina, about the year 1738, not 

 lefs than 800, or 1000 perfons were inoculated, of whom 

 only eight died. The account of this fuccefs contributed 

 materially to revive the pradice in Great Britain. In Phila- 

 delpliia, hkewife, inoculation proved foon afterwards ftili 

 more favourable ; and in St. Chriftopher's 300 flaves were 

 inoculated, without the lofs of one. 



Such fads in favour of the pradice, and the great fatality 

 of the natural fmall-pox in Britain, foon led people to adopt 

 inoculation more extenfively than ever, and from the year 

 1 73S, this beneficial m.ethod may be regarded as having been 

 completely and generally cftablilhed, though partiid oppoli- 

 tion prevailed long afterwards. 



In the year 1746, the inftitution called the Inoculation 

 Hofpital had its rife, though it was not at firll fo confidcr- 

 able an edablifhment as at prefent. Here the fuccefs of 

 inoculation did not difappoint the hopes and zeal of its 

 patrons ; for out of 593 cafes of perfons fucceffively ino- 

 culated, from the year 1 75 1, only one proved unfuc- 

 cefsful. 



In 1754. it was determined to inoculate the three royal 



children, who had not yet had the fmall-pox. In the mean 



time, his prefent majeily took the difeafe cafualiy, fo that • 



only the prince Edward, and the princefs Augufta, were 



T 2 ir.uculated. 



