Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy : inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc. / by John Hunter ... ; with notes by Richard Owen.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1840
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy : inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc. / by John Hunter ... ; with notes by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![From Mr. Grant's Notes. The eruption appeared on Mrs. Ford in the evening of the 8th of December, and she was delivered the 31st, that is, twenty-three days after the appearance of the eruptions. Reflections by Mr. John Hunter. The singularity of the above case, with all its circumstances, has inclined me to consider it with some attention. There can be no doubt that the mother had the small-pox, and that the eruption began to appear on the 8th of December; also, that it went through its regular stages, and that on the 31st, viz. twenty-three days after the first appearance of the eruption the woman was delivered of the child, who is the subject of this paper. Secondly, The distance of time when she had the small-pox before delivery, joined with the stage of the disease in the child when born, which probably was about the sixth or seventh day of the eruption, viz., about fifteen or sixteen days after the beginning of the eruption on the mother, perfectly agrees with the possibility of the infection's being caught from the mother. Thirdly, The external appearance of the pustules in the child was perfectly that of the small-pox, as must have appeared from the relation given in Mr. WastalPs letter. Most of the pustules were distinct, but some were blended or united at their base. The face had the greatest number, and these were in genera] the most in- distinct. They were somewhat flattened, with a dent in the middle.* So far were the leading circumstances and external appearances in favour of their being the variolous eruption ; but although these leading circumstances and external appearances were incontro- vertible, yet they were not an absolute proof of this being the genuine small-pox; therefore I must be allowed to consider this subject a little further, and see how far all the circumstances cor- respond or are similar to the true small-pox. In the small-pox we have a previous fever, in place of which, in the present case, we have no information but that of the mother's having had the small- pox within such a limited time as may favour the possibility of in- fection in the womb ; yet we may presume that the child must have had considerable fever preceding such an eruption, of whatsoever kind it was. In the small-pox the eruption goes through pretty regular stages in its progress and declension, which circumstances we know nothing of in the present case; but even this fever, the eruptions, and their * I endeavoured to take some matter upon the point of two lancets; but not having an opportunity of making an experiment myself, I gave them to two gen- tlemen, who, I imagine, were afraid of inoculating with them.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21131545_0073.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
