Reflections on the cow-pox : illustrated by cases to prove it an absolute security against the small pox; addressed to the public in a letter to Dr. Jenner.

  • Fermor, William, 1737-1806
Date:
1800
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reflections on the cow-pox : illustrated by cases to prove it an absolute security against the small pox; addressed to the public in a letter to Dr. Jenner. 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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    produced any arguments to difprove it. Some laugh at the idea, and think that the tranfla- tion of a humour from the heels of a horfe to the teats of a cow, mult naturally produce a ludicrous complaint, which can have no analogy with the Small-pox; and that the catalogue of diforders, which airlift: the human race is fufficient, without having recourfe to the brute creation for more. But let us no longer difpute about caufes, let us look principally to effects. Our great philofopher Dr. Franklin, in a treatife on electricity, fays, on a fimilar occaiion, Nor is it of much importance to us to know the manner in which Nature executes her laws. It is enough if we know the laws them- felves. Would it not be abfurd in us to forego the wonderful and falutary relief pro- duced by electricity in many diforders our bodily frame is fubject to, becaufe we cannot in a fatisfactory manner explain what the elec- trical fluid is, or from whence it arifes? A variety of medicines are fold by empyrics in this country, whofe effects are wonderfully advantageous in many of our complaints. An eminent phyfician in my neighbourhood,
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