A review of Mr. Brown's work on vaccination / extracted from the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, and re-published by order of the gentlemen who super-intend the Cow-Pock Institution, in Sackville Street, Dublin. [Anon].

Date:
1809
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A review of Mr. Brown's work on vaccination / extracted from the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, and re-published by order of the gentlemen who super-intend the Cow-Pock Institution, in Sackville Street, Dublin. [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/18 (page 2)
    [An Inquiry into the Antivariolous Power of Vaccination ; hi which, from the stale of the Phenomena, and the occurrence oj a great variety of Cases, the most serious doubts are suggested of the Efficacy of the whole Practice, and its powers at best proved to be only temporary. From which also will appear, the necessity of and proper periodfor again submitting to, Inoculation with Variolous Virus. By Thomas Brown, Surgeon, Mussleburgh. 8vo. Edinburgh, printed for the Author, 18G9. Pp* 32?.] -\/rR. BROWN, seems to consider himself as abso- lutely the first who has ventured to oppose the torrent of error, originating with Dr. Jenner, and carrying along with it all classes of society. fC All who have wrote fwritten) upon the subject, have acquiesced with (in) the grand results of its author,’' p. 2. At least, he claims the merit of being the first an¬ tagonist of Dr. Jenner worthy of notice. <c It must be confessed, that at the commencement of the practice,, an opposition arose from a fewr individuals of the profession; but so far from thinking that it was inimical to the new practice, I am convinced that it contributed not a little to increase its reputation, and to extend its influence. Their arguments in general were deemed weak, their assertions unqualified, their facts few and in- significant, and upon the whole (their facts ?) conducted with such a total want of the true spirit of inquiry, as, hitherto, not to be consi¬ dered as any exception to the general rule. They not only gave an easy victory to their opponents, but contributed to the total extinc¬ tion ef all opposition, by creating a terror in every liberal mind, at being blended with such a contemptible minorityI What the Moselies, the Squirrels, the Rowlies, the Birchs, thb Lipscombs, and the great grandson of Charles the Second will say to this, we know not; but leaving the antivaccinists to revenge their own wrongs, we shall proceed to the proper subject of this article, which is net so much to appreciate the merits of Mr. Bryce and of Mr. Brown, or their worksw as to inquire whether vaccination still deserve the confidence we have on former occa¬ sions expressed in its antivariolous power, or whether the writings of Mr. B rown and others have convinced us, that we were deceived by appearances, and misled by ignorance and prejudice. Before entering into the consideration of this question, we shall briefly notice, that all parties agree that the cow-pox is nos contagious, and that it is a much milder disease than even inoculated small-pox. Nay, Mr. Brown, although he gives us to under¬ stand that he was a very successful variolator, and has humanely disclosed his method of frequently rescuing variolated patients as it were articulo mortis (p. 30.), says, when laboriously proving •that cow-pox is not small-pox. \