Facts decisive in favour of the cow-pock : including the history of its rise, progress, and advantages; and the evidence given before the Honourable the Committee of the House of Commons, with their report, and remarks on the same / By Robert John Thornton.

Robert John Thornton

Date:: 1803

Credit: Facts decisive in favour of the cow-pock : including the history of its rise, progress, and advantages; and the evidence given before the Honourable the Committee of the House of Commons, with their report, and remarks on the same / By Robert John Thornton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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$In the fame manner at Pavia, where the nurfes often inoculated, without the parents* knowledge, the infants intruded to their care. For this purpofe they com monly rubbed the palm of the hand of the child with fluid variolous matter, recently taken fro:n a puftule. ; he practice of buying or inccuhtiyg the fmall- pox prevailed alfo m/ome of the provinces of France, efpecially in Auvergne *v\d in Pengcrd', and ftillmore generally among the ignorant peafantry in many parts of Germany > Denmark* and Sweden. In the northern parts of Europe this practice feems to have been lefs complete than that adopted on the fouthern and eaftern coafts of the Mediterra- nean Sea. For in Barbary and in the Levant, though they placed implicit confidence in the ef- ficacy of buying or purchafmg the variolous puftules; yet their method of performing the operation was fuciv as could not fail of producing the inoculated fmall-pox. The infectious matter was infer ted at a Jmall opening made in the flefiy part of the hand> be- tween the thumb and forefinger; and, according to Dr. Shaw, <£ the perfon who is to undergo the; operation, receives the infection from fome friend or neighbour, who has a favourable kind, and who is intreated to fell two or three of his puftules, for the fame number of nuts, comfits, or fuch like trifles. This account of inoculation differs not mate- rially from that practifed in the kingdoms of Tri- poli,$