VACCINATION OP SHEEP. 
627 
communication in which he asserts that his father's sheep 
were vaccinated, and that my statement to the contrary was 
“ untrue." 
With regard to the two sheep which I described as being 
inoculated with success, subsequent to Mr. Wells's operation, 
Mr. Henry Overman has evidently an imperfect knowledge 
respecting these animals; besides which he does not correctly 
quote his late father's statement in the Norwich Mercury of 
November 22nd, 1848. The words are: “ One never took 
the disease, but died of gangrene, ensuing from the inocu¬ 
lation. The other is alive and well, and ailed very little " 
(not, “ never ailed anything”) “ from the experiment." Had 
Mr. Overman any knowledge of the subject of vaccination, 
or of inoculation, we should not have found him adducing, 
as proof of the protecting influence of vaccination, that an 
animal had died from the local action of sheeppox virus arti¬ 
ficially introduced into the system. The fact is, then, as I 
have before stated it, namely, that “ both sheep took the 
disease from the inoculation," and that one died from gangrene 
of the wound, and the other “ ailed very little." 
It is apart, altogether from the main question, whether the 
late Mr. Overman was “ pressed to send these two sheep 
to his neighbour’s flock," or whether he “did it by his own 
particular wish," for I can show, by his letter to me, that, 
although “pressed," he did not fulfil all he had promised 
to do to test these so-called vaccinations. On October 20th, 
1848, he wrote me as follows: 
“ Weasenham, Rougham. 
“Sir,—I have seen Mr. Muskett this morning; and he 
expresses his surprise that you should have told me, last 
Monday, that his lambs were suffering from the smallpox 
in the natural way. Mr. Cook, of Litcham, said the same 
to Mr. Muskett, on Tuesday last, at Lynn market. Mr. 
Muskett's statement, made to me this morning, is, f My 
lambs have not ailed anything since they recovered from the 
inoculation several weeks since.' From the appearance of 
the lambs this morning, I have no hesitation in saying they 
have recovered; and, therefore, under these circumstances, 
it would be no test for me to send five lambs there; and, 
after reconsidering the subject of our conversation, I have 
determined not to send any of the sheep to the Veterinary 
College. 
“ I am, &c., 
(Signed) “ Henry Overman." 
