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

Thomson, John, 1765-1846.

Date:: 1809

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

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

20/28 (page 18)

$I 18 CHAPTER V. OJ thc causes cf tJie failure of the Cow-po.r, I. It lias bcen alrea.ly observed that about one person in slxty is incapable of taking the Cow-pox. In some cases, (and particularly betorc the be.st medns of keeping the matter were discovered,) ii h.as been tound difficult to prodace the Cow- pox. Rcpeated inocujations may be necessary, tor children liave taken it on repeated inoculation, who tor several times, seemed not to bc capabie of it. This'ma\ be owing to some state ot tlie gcncral heallh not apparent, and it is known that inany tliings so trifliiig as scarcely to be called complaints, will ])rc\'ent its taking place, or aUer its course, such as pimples, Sore ears, boils, an cruption about the mouth and nose from cold, a few scurfy spois on any part of ihe body.(47) The same is eirectetl by *norc serious complaints, as scarlet-fever, ir.casles, tooth-rash, nettle rash, tetters, chicken-pox, swine- pox, itch, by all diseases affecting the skin. and by fevers ot vario s kinds; whilst some diseases, such as king's evil, lickets, &c. .seem neithcr to afTect thc Cow-pox nor to be affected by it. Now children inoculated for the Cow-pox under such circumstances, are of coiirse, equally liable to the Small pox as before. Yet a ncglect of these circumstances has biought the Cow-pox very unjustly into disrcpute. II. Anothcr and a very principal cause of tlie failure of the Cow-pox was, inoculaixon having been performed by improper perfons, or by ftich as did not know the tvue Cow-pox fiorn the spurious. This was unavoidable at first. During the years 1799 aiid 1800, inoculation was practised by ten or twclve tliouland perfons, who had never seen the Coio pox, per- fons in the medical proiession and out ot it. In their zeal they did a world of mischief. Thousands and tens of thousands vere inoculatcd. but never seen affain. Whcthei thev had the Cow-pox or not cannot be known. It is only known that tliey were inoculated, but ihc inoculation for the Cow-pox, and the Cow-pox ilself are very different things, the one the means of producing the discase, ihe other the disease itself; the one merely a slight cut in thc arm, the other a regular disease of t^voorthrce wceks lcngth. and yetthey have been confounded. Many whq 'were inoculaiedjor it but d/d not iakeit, were thought as safe as those who went regularly through it. The number of the§e inflances is without end. Nothing is so usual on men- tioning the Cow-pox to a parent as to hear the foUowing rea- fons given against it. No, Mary shall not have the Cow-pox iricd, for Dick had it, but took theSmall-pox atterv\-ards ; look liow he is pitted and seamed. He was blind a week ; they have left a horny speck on each eye ; and soon after, ttiose$