Cheap tract on the cow-pox. A plain statement of facts, in favour of the cow-pox, intended for circulation through the middle and lower classes of society / [John Thomson].

Thomson, John, active 1809.

Date:: 1809

Credit: Cheap tract on the cow-pox. A plain statement of facts, in favour of the cow-pox, intended for circulation through the middle and lower classes of society / [John Thomson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$further, that the Cow.pox has a decided advantage over the Small-pox, measles, and scarlet fever, in not calling forth any other disease.(41) in some constitutions, the scratch of a pin has produced foul sores, mortification, and death; the bite of a leach, the ap¬ plication of a blister, have done the same. So it may have happened, that children of such constitutions, have had a sore arm from inoculation, but they probably would have had the same, from the scratch of a pin, or of the point of a lancet, though no Cow-pox matter had been on it. We hear every day of such accidents as these: a person cuts his toe-nail to the quick, mortification and death follow ; yet who ever thought that this was owing to any deadly matter being on the knife. It is generally and with sufficient truth said, that the event is owing to the person having been in a bad habit of body. Such no doubt is the case in some instances of inoculation. There is also very good reason to believe, that unpleasant sores have been caused by making the wound with the lancet too deep,{^^ by making long scratches across the arm; by using rusty lancets, by using matter older than the tenth day, when it is become putrid diudi changed. It is a‘^tonishing the mischief that has been done by stabbing and scratching the arm, by putting threads into- it, by using rusty and improper instruments, such as coblers* awls,(q8) &c. The wound cannot be too small, it the scarf skin be raised ; and the smallest particle of matter is sufficient. Yet after all, after all the bungling, mangling, and unnecessary- wounding of the arm, after all the sorry collection of instru¬ ments that have been used, such as rusty lancets, tooth picks, quills, awls, knitting needles, &c. sore arms are much less frequent after the Cow-pox, than they were after the Small pox : a fact, v/hich, if it be in some measure owing to the mildness of the Cow-pox matter, is in a great degree owing to the method of inoculation having become more simple. I may add a remark of a practical nature : after the inoculation for the Small-pox, if the arm was considerably inflamed, and the health at the same time disordered, the child was deemed per¬ fectly secure Irom the Small-pox, though not a single pock appeared. This seems to me extremely doubtful ; there seems no evidence in this of the existence of the Small-pox disease, and we know Jor a certainty, that a sore arm produced by in¬ oculation for the Cow pox, or any appearance on the arm, except the true Cow-pox going through us regular stages, is not 2^ security frorn the Smali-pox.^ III. That Cow-pox is not a preventative of Small-pox, or if (44) W. X. app. (48) C. 77. W. 32. * I find since writing the above, that the late Dr. Heberdcn urges, the same doubt, and^ivqs a Cass in point, Coinmeat. Cap. 9^,$