416 Account of the Introduétion of the Cow-pox into India. [Dee. 1, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT of the INTRODUCTION of the 
COW-POX ufo INDIA.* 
HE firft idea fuggefted by this title 
is that of a literary curiofity or no- 
velty ; a recent and important difcovery in 
Europe propagated with {peed to another 
hemifphere, and circulated through the 
mediam of the prefs by either a Gentoo 
or Mahomedan printer. It was from Afia 
that incculaticn was derived to Europe. 
Europe returns the benefit to Afia with 
large increafe. Thus the progreffion of 
intercour!= and {cience binds the nations 
of tse earth together in the foft chains of 
mutual advantage—one effort for the relief 
of hyman diltreds. 
It is to the enlarged, liberal, and phil- 
anthrophic views of a humane and en- 
ligatened philofopher and ftatefman, that 
the world is indebted for this happy event : 
than which there is nothing of a more 
merciful nature, m the whole hiftory of 
medicine, or of political inftitutions or at- 
tempts. That philoicpher and fiatefman 
is Jonathan Duncan, Efquire, Governor of 
Bombay, jufily efteemed and rénowned ° 
for his fuccefstul endeavours to confoli- 
da‘e and extend the interelts of the Eaft 
India Company and the Britifh nation, by 
uniting them with thofe of the Afatic 
tribes and nations, whole lot it has been 
to fall under their dominion. 
To this gentleman the jpublication is 
dedicated with great propriety by Dr. 
Keir, the compiler of the correfpondence 
of which it confifts ; becaufe it was to his 
humane and zealous interpofition that the 
Indian world are chiefly indebted for the 
bleffings that have already marked the pro- 
gre!s of vaccivation,as wellas for the incal- 
culable benefits that muft ultimately arife 
from it, to every quarter of theBritith domi- 
nions in Afia.. The Governor was “early 
Imprefled with a juft fenfe of the value of 
extending vaccination to India, and he 
judged that the mott likely way to fecure 
the {peedy completion of- fo defivabie an 
odjecr would be, to intereft (meaning /o 
engage) nis majefty’s miniiter at Conitan- 
tinople to afford his co-operation, by di- 
recting virus to be forwarded, from time 
to time, for Bombay by the way of Bag- 
dad avd Bufforah. 
Tn this little volume a great variety of 
reports refpecting) its fubject are ‘ col- 
lected, and the introduction of the dif- 
* Bombay: printed by ‘Moroba Damother 
gee Peahoos. git March, 1303, ato. p. biz. 
eafe* into India, is traced from authentic 
decuments. ‘The object of all this, is, 
to enable gentlemen in the Company’s fer- 
vice to propagate it in different fituations 
where they are frequently employed, ata 
difance trom medical men. Mr. Dun- 
can’s correfpondence with Lord Elgin, 
our minifter at Conftantinople, commenced 
in March, 1801. His Lordfhip replied, 
July 31%, declaring his readinefs to pay 
early attention to the governor’s withes, 
and ina particular manner to his defire 
of receiving the ‘cow-pox matter. The 
difficulty of conveying the infection had 
rendered feveral attempts he had made to 
bring it to Conttantinople that fpring a- 
bortive. But he had directed that fome 
fhould be fent to him by every poft from 
Vienna. Lord Elgin wrote again to the 
governor, September 8, 1801, inclofing a 
-quill of vaccine matter, together witha 
book on the fubject publifhed at Vienna, 
and announcing that he had fairly efta- 
blifhed the vaccine inoculation at Conftan- 
tincple. As a proof of its mildnefs he 
mentions that he had inoculated his; child 
on the 6th of September, though only - 
born 31ft of Augutt. | - 
After many unfuccefsful attempts the 
vaccine inoculation was eftablithed at 
Bagdad; from whence itwas communicated 
to Bufforah ; and from thence to Bombay. 
This biefling refufed to be communicated 
from Europe by water-carriagé, and chofe a 
progrefs by land—from Vienna, wa Con- - 
itantinople, to Bufforah; from whence it 
pafled, by a fhort paflage of three weeks, 
to Bombay ; and from thence to all parts 
of India. From Mr. Milne, at Bufforah, 
the furgeons at Bombay received fupplies 
of virus carefully put up in different 
ways. Between twenty er thirty fubjects 
were inoculated at this place, with the 
threads impregnated with the virus, in 
various modes and by different furgeons 5 
only one inftance of fuccefs oceurred in 
all thofe inoculated. Anna Duitholl, the- 
child of a female fervant belonging .to 
Captain Hardie, was inogulated by Dr. 
Ficlenus Scott on the 14th of June, with 
complete fuccefs. Anna was about three 
years of age, healthy and certainly never 
had the fmalil-pox. ** She was remarkably 
* it might appear that the difeafe here 
referred to is the {mail-pox, but from a peru- 
{al of the whole context and collection, it 1 
evident, that the writer, who will be readily 
excufed for grammatical inaccuracy, means 
the flate of the body on the introduétion, 
into the fyftem, of the vaccine matter. 
good= 
