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 / by John Thomson.

Date:
1809
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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 / by John Thomson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    parents of the reft to bring their children and inocftlate them with pins, knives, cobler’s awls, knitting-needles, &c. from the arm ot the affected child, though they did not know whether it had the Cow-pox, the spurious pox, or anv pox at all. The greater part of the children of two parishes in Scot- land, were inoculated by persons not of the medical profeffion, and not acquainted with the Cow-pox. The result was, that the Small-pox came among them foon afterwards, and every one thus inoculated, was affected with that dreadful difeafe, whilftthe few that had been inoculated by pCrfons acquainted with the Cow-pox, entirely escaped.(48) III. The use of Cow pox matter kept too long is another caufe.vof failure. It is wdl ascertained that matter taken later than the tenth day cannot be depended 00.(49) The practice of inoculating from the moiftened scab cannot be too highly condemned. IV. The last source of failure which I shall notice is rather a disappointment of unreasonable expectations, than any failure on the part of the Cow-pox. Suppofe for inftance the Small- pox raging through all classes. Many induced by fear, then wifli their children to have the Cow-pox ; a child is inoculated for it, he seems to have taken it, when in the course of a week, the Small-pox appears upon him, and he goes regularly through both diseases. Even in this inftance the Cow-pox is blamed, though it has been always confessed that Cow-pox in general cannot overtake the Small-pox. There is however great rea- son to suppose that the Small-pox is thus rendered milder and devoid of danger, and this it is of great consequence to know, when the Small-pox is rife and very fatal. In the inftance in queftion there is no doubt but the child had received the in- jection of the Small-pox, either before the inoculation for the Cow-pox, or within ten days after it, for it was ascertained by Dr. Willan ten years atro, that a^child who had been inoculated fur the Cow-pox, might take the Small-pox by inoculation, if inoculated within seven or eight days alter the inoculation for the Cow-pox,(49) 'I'he same is true of the natural Small- pox, and in such cases the two diseases go on regularly togctlier, Every practitioner sees inftances of this. It follows from this that in all places svhere Small pox is raging, the greateft care is required. I'hough the Cow-pox inoculation may seem to have taken place, yet if the pock loses the true Cow pox appearance within the firft nine days it is not safe. Inoculated iozo pox generally v-n \\\<e third, ino- culated Small pox on the eighth * day, the natural Small f^ox usually apj)cars about the twelfth day after infection. 1 ho iiiucuidtion foi Cow-j)ox ought not therefore to be relied on as a i«*' ur.ty in any inflanec in which the person has been exposed