EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
197 
which is but little susceptible to its action, and hence 
suffers only to a slight extent. Cow-pox is, in fact, small- 
pox modified by the system of the cow ; and vaccination, 
instead of being the introduction into the human subject of 
a new and strange malady, is but the return, in a mild 
form, of a disease which naturally belongs to the human 
race. Upon this ground and upon no other can we under- 
stand the undoubted efficacy of vaccination in preventing 
the spread of smallpox. 
Other objections than those which we have referred to 
have been urged against vaccination, but with them we have 
nothing to do, as they belong to the province of human 
medicine ; we merely take the opportunity to assert that 
vaccine lymph per se can only produce vaccine disease, no 
other malady can be introduced by it, but, as a matter of 
course, if a bungling operator takes with the lymph, blood 
and pus, and possibly other inflammatory products from the 
vesicle on the arm of a patient in a diseased condition, and 
transfers them to the circulation of a healthy individual, 
mischief will result, not from the vaccine matter, but from 
inoculation with morbid products which will act as blood 
poisons. It is hardly possible to imagine that a professional 
operator would make such a mistake, and it is needless to 
suggest that none but competent persons should attempt to 
collect lymph for the purpose of vaccination. We hold it 
to be the duty of the members of the veterinary profession 
to do their best to remove the absurd prejudices which 
still obtain among the uneducated classes against a perfectly 
harmless operation, by combating on every occasion the 
erroneous notions which are entertained in respect of the 
origin of cow-pox. 
CONNECTION OF MR. FLEMING WITH THE EDITORIAL 
STAFF OF THE VETERINARIAN. 
It affords us much satisfaction to be able to announce 
that our valued correspondent, Mr. George Fleming, -will 
from this date take an active part in the management of 
the Veterinarian. We cannot doubt that our readers will 
