The natural history of cow-pox and vaccinal syphilis / by Charles Creighton.
- Charles Creighton
- Date:
- 1887
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The natural history of cow-pox and vaccinal syphilis / by Charles Creighton. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.
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![It is not the section on Variolation of the Cow that constitutes the valuable part of Mr. Ceely's writings; it has been unfortunate, indeed, for his scientific credit that he was ever led into that side issue of experimentation. His bizarre experiment was pi-omptly seized upon as an easy rationale of the empirical, not to say mysterious, efficacy of vaccination; and there are probably few of the present generation of medical men who know at all accurately what Ceely's services to the study and elucidation of cow-pox really were. I feel bound to quote the following authoritative reference to Ceely, which omits even to mention his laborious studies of cow-pox itself. Tn the well-known vaccination blue-book of 1857 * we read as follows : It was not until forty years after that science supplied an authentic interpre- tation of Jenner's wonderful discovery. . . . These re- searches [by Ceely and others] set in a very clear light the meaning of Jenner's practice. A host of theoretical objections to vaccination might have been met, or, indeed, anticipated, if it could have been affirmed sixty years ago as it can be affirmed now (1857) : This new process of pre- venting small-pox is really only carrying people through small-pox in a modified form. The vaccinated are safe against small-pox because they, in fact, have had it. It is true that all the exponents of vaccination have not agreed in that doctrine, or they have not been steadfast to it. Thus Dr. G. Gregory, early in his career, was of opinion that vaccination is not small-pox, but just the reverse, the antagonistic principle ; and Sir Thomas Watson came for- ward towards the end of his life to maintain that the * Papers relating to the History and Practice of Vaccination. Pre- sented to both Houses of Parliament. London, 1837.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21028539_0056.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
