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Read Ebook: The Present Method of Inoculating for the Small-Pox To which are added some experiments instituted with a view to discover the effects of a similar treatment in the natural small-pox by Dimsdale Thomas
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Ebook has 383 lines and 33122 words, and 8 pages
Transcriber's notes:
The text contains a few typographic characters that will not necessarily display correctly with all viewing devices. If some of the characters look abnormal, first ensure that the device's character encoding is set to Unicode . The default font might also need to be changed to a Unicode font such as Arial Unicode MS, DejaVu, Segoe UI Symbol or FreeSerif.
The following typographic errors have been corrected silently:
cought --> caught conderable --> considerable rhubard --> rhubarb therfore --> therefore smoaked --> smoked teized --> seized choaked --> choked wereat --> were at inculation --> inoculation throngh --> through anamalous --> anomalous
Archaic spellings remain as in the original but archaic long 's' letters have been replaced by the standard letter 's'.
Spelling inconsistencies such as dram/drachm, and unpaired square brackets are as in the original.
Footnotes have been positioned below the relevant paragraphs.
A short table of contents has been inserted by the transcriber to assist the reader.
To which are added,
The SEVENTH EDITION, Corrected.
LONDON:
Printed by JAMES PHILLIPS, George-Yard, Lombard-Street;
And Sold by W. OWEN, in Fleet-Street; and CARNAN and NEWBERY, in-St. Paul's Church Yard.
TO THE
Royal College of Physicians
LONDON,
This Treatise is inscribed,
With all due Deference
and Respect,
INTRODUCTION.
Of the Age, Constitution, and Season of the Year proper for Inoculation.
Of the Preparation.
Of Infection.
Of the Progress of Infection.
OF ANOMALOUS SYMPTOMS AND APPEARANCES.
Consequences of this Method of Inoculation.
The Effects of this Treatment applied to the natural Small-Pox.
CONCLUSION.
CASES.
CASES of the natural Small-pox, treated in the preceding Method.
POSTSCRIPT.
CASE.
INTRODUCTION.
From the time that I entered into the practice of medicine, and saw the danger to which the generality of those who had the small-pox in the natural way were exposed, I could not but sincerely wish, with every sensible person of the faculty, that Inoculation might become general.
A considerable share of employment in this branch of my profession has for upwards of twenty years occurred to me; and altho' I have been so fortunate as not to lose a patient under inoculation, except one child, about fourteen years ago, who after the eruption of a few distinct pustules died of a fever, which I esteemed wholly independent of the small-pox, yet I must acknowledge that in some cases the symptoms have cost me not a little anxiety for the event.
Nor have the subsequent effects of this practice always been so favourable as one could wish; and tho' far from equalling those which too often follow the natural small-pox; either in respect to difficulty or number, yet they sometimes gave no small uneasiness to the operator.
It cannot likewise, it ought not to be concealed, that some of the inoculated have died under this process, even under the care of very able and experienced practitioners. But this number is so small, that, when compared with the mortality attending the natural small-pox, it is reduced almost to a cypher.
These circumstances, however, tended to discourage the operation in some degree. Practitioners were cautious of urging a process, of whose event they could not be certain: and parents, who were sensible enough to observe, that though the chance was greatly in their favour, yet a blank might cast up against them, engaged in it with hesitation.
Humanity, as well as a wish to promote the honour and advantage of the art I profess, made me ever attentive to the improvement of this part of my employment. Dissatisfied with the common methods, I had carefully attended to the circumstances that seemed to contribute to the good or ill success of this practice, in the course of my own business, as well as to the best information I could get of the success of others.
Many facts had induced me to think that regimen, preparation, and management would do much: that as the disease was of an inflammatory kind, a cooling regimen must certainly for the most part be reasonable. Some faint essays were made to try how far this sentiment might be just. But those who are the best acquainted with the first aphorism of Hippocrates, will be the first in justifying a cautious procedure, where the object is no less than the life of an individual.
In this situation I first heard, and with the utmost satisfaction, that in some parts of the nation, a new and more successful method of inoculating was discovered, than had hitherto been practised. The relators gave incredible accounts of the success; which was the more marvellous, as the operators were chiefly such, as, by report, could lay but little claim to medical erudition.
To expose patients, even in the inoculated small-pox, to all weathers, was a thing unheard of. To permit them through the whole progress of the disease to go abroad, and follow their usual vocations, and that they should neither suffer any present evil, nor experience any disagreeable consequences, was still more surprizing; yet an infinite number of instances have confirmed all this; and some of these instances will appear in the sequel of this performance.
The design of this treatise is to bring the practice still one step nearer to perfection, and lessen the ravages of a distemper, which is not a native of Britain, but, like the plague, has been imported from a foreign country, and demands the exertion of all the powers we are possessed of, either to exterminate it from amongst us, which perhaps is not practicable, or to render it less unsafe, if not wholly without difficulty or danger.
The following directions for this purpose, are the result of an extensive practice: and if a strong persuasion of the truth of what he writes, founded on repeated trials and impartial observations, should have led the author to express himself in a very sanguine manner, the future experience of others, he trusts, will be his justification.
Hertford, 1. Nov. 1766.
Of the AGE, CONSTITUTION, and SEASON of the Year proper for INOCULATION.
Before I proceed to describe the regimen and preparatives, it may not be improper to mention what has occurred to me in respect to the most suitable age and constitution for inoculation; and likewise what seasons seem to be more or less favourable for the practice.
In regard to age; where it is left to my choice, I decline inoculating children under two years old. I know the common practice is against me in this particular; but my reasons for rejecting such are founded on observation and experience. I have, indeed, lately inoculated many under this age, at the pressing entreaties of their parents, and they have all done well. But it must be considered, that young children are exposed to all the hazards of dentition, fevers, fluxes, convulsions, and other accidents, sufficiently difficult in themselves to manage in such tender subjects; insomuch that scarce two in three of all that are born, live to be two years old, as is demonstrable from the Bills of Mortality.
Besides, convulsive paroxysms often accompany the variolous eruptive fever in children; and though generally looked upon in no unfavourable light, as often preceding a distinct kind of small-pox, yet they are at all times attended with some degree of danger; nay, some, it is well known, have expired under them; while others, who have struggled through with great difficulty, have been so debilitated, and their faculties so impaired, that the effects have been perceptible during the remaining part of their lives.
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