On the practical working of direct vaccination from the calf / by Benjamin Browning.
- Browning, Benjamin.
- Date:
- 1882
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On the practical working of direct vaccination from the calf / by Benjamin Browning. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
9/20 page 7
![As you will see, they report persons of all ages and of both sexes said to have been seen suffering from Small-pox after vaccination —469 in number—with 99 deaths, and 370 recoveries, or an average percentage of 21-108 gross. Infants and children under 10 years old—25 in number—with 22 recoveries, and 3 deaths. Persons of both sexes over 10 years old—444 in number—with 348 recoveries, and 96 deaths. (Higher figures are given by Dr. Collie. Further comment is needless.) Now, many of these sufferers showed good vaccine marks of the kind that would be deemed worthy of an extra grant from the Government Inspector (at least I used formerly to receive such grants for doing similar looking work), and yet they took Small-pox—some within six days, some within six months, and some within six years of their vaccination date. I would ask what inference can fairly be deducted from this record, except that they had been vaccinated with lymph of enfeebled protective power ? Per contra, I have successfully vaccinated with calf lymph some 150 persons of all ages primarily and secondarily in infected localities, and none of them have yet suffered from variola. Two of the pa- tients were new-born infants, each born into a bed reeking with Small- pox ; but a third baby, brought into the world in similar circum- stances, which I vaccinated with humanised, for want of calf-lymph, contracted modified Small-pox, though of the mildest type. [I have the vanity to quote myself, simply because I can give minute details and explanations ; but the experience and evidence of Martin, Baker, and Rowell, in America, Warlomont, Oppendop, and Von-Pissen, on the Continent, and Ransome and Ernest Hart, in England, amply confirms my general statements.] III. What are the facts as to the spread of constitutional infection or symptoms of local mischief following vaccination, produced by humanised and calf lymph respectively ? First, as to humanised vaccination. Reliable evidence is wanting of the possibility of the transmission of any infection but the syphilitic and scrofulous taints, by means of humanised vaccination and the instances reported must have been due to criminal ignorance or negligence on the part of the operator. This question was exhaustively gone into and determined by Seaton in 1868, and our advance in microscopical knowledge since then merely confirms his deductions.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22273499_0009.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
