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BY the latest intelligence from Great Britain, that of the most interesting nature to the medical profeffion is the fudden alarm, excited by a recent publication of Mr. Goldfon, a furgeon of respectability at Portfea. This gentleman from fome cases which have occurred to him, has attempted to oppose the generally received opinion, of the prophylactic powers of vaccination. He admits the permanent efficacy of the cafual cow pox; but is disposed to confider the inoculated cow pox, as poffeffing only a temporary influence upon the human fyftem. This idea of the temporary advantages of vaccination, it is well known, was promulgated at a very early period after the introduction of this inestimable preservative against variolous contagion. It was this, which affifted the enemies of vaccination, greatly in their oppofition to it, and which, for a long time, prevented many from engaging in its practice, who have fince warmly espoused it. It may well be imagined that a pamphlet containing the history of several cases of small pox after vaccination, and all occurring under the notice of one practitioner, would neceffarily excite the greatest uneafinefs in the public mind, more especially of that part of it, whofe relations had been fubjected to its influence, under the conviction of its permanent efficacy. The long and strenuous exertions of the friends of vaccination, are thus unexpectedly thrown aback; and they must again submit to stem the torrent of popular prejudice, which has been excited hereby. The numerous and unprejudiced testimony of thousands, in its favour-founded on accurate and well conducted experiments, are thus opposed by the voice of an individual. It is not, perhaps, neceffary to dwell upon the circumstance of all these cases (fix in number) happening in the practice of a single perfon, although it must be admitted as extraordinary, that amidst the repeated trials of others, a fimilar refult has fcarcely ever been noticed. It is, however, incumbent upon all, whofe faith continues unshaken in favour of the vaccine, to fhew by additional facts, that the disease still continues, and will ever continue to render itself dear, to the votaries of humanity, by upholding the fame invaluable property which gave rife to its introduction as a re

medy in the practice of phyfic.-Without entering into the merits of the pamphlet alluded to, which will be best effected by those on the spot-we shall endeavour to show from a variety of fources, that however accurate the account may be, it ought not to diminish our conviction of the utility of vaccination.-In fo newly a discovered difeafe, doubtlefs, many points remain yet to be elucidated, and many anomalies to be attended to, of which we are at prefent ignorant; yet few diseases have ever fo rapidly advanced to the fame perfection, as this

has done.

The cafes which Mr. Goldfon has brought forward are faid to be intended to direct the attention of practitioners to an object of fuch confequence. For this he deferves credit; for, as is faid in the Statement of Evidence from Trials by Inoculation, &c. by the Phyficians of the original vaccine pock institution, "it is fitting that the public be informed of the real value of the new inoculation, that it may be adopted for as much as it is worth."

The above-named institution, confidering that facts are fuperior to arguments in a point like the prefent, have inftituted a feries of experiments, conducted with the greatest candour and in the most fatisfactory manner, by which the hopes of the friends of vaccination, are ten-fold ftrengthened; whilft its opponents, can fcarcely but admit the conclufions drawn from them. Thefe we propose to infert here at length, and have no doubt the importance of the fubject will plead our excufe for fo long an extract.

"THE preceding trials were intended primarily toafford additional evidence of the efficacy of the cow pock in destroying the fufceptibility of the fmall pox, for the confideration of those who have informed the public of contrary refults. If these experiments do not produce conviction, and enable the authors of the contravening statements to perceive that the grounds of their error confist either in their subjects not having in reality undergone the cow pock, or in their having had fome eruptive complaint, mistaken for the fmall pox; we at least, justly demand See page 64, & feq.

that our example be followed of re-inftituting the trials on an equal number of perfons, who can be proved by authentic and fully adequate evidence to have gone through the vaccina. -Also, that in cafe of eruptions attending, fuppofed to be the fmall pox, fuch fupervening eruptive diforders be fhewn from full and authentic evidence to have been the fmall pox. Without the imputation of inaccuracy, inattention, or blameable ignorance in those who declared that the cow pock does not produce incapability of taking the fmall pox, at least that it does fo only for a limited time; we feel ourselves juftifiable in believing that they have deceived themselves, and of course we cannot admit the cafes as evidence of the fmall pox at any period whatever, fubfequent to the cow pock.

"We now proceed to offer a few remarks on the two claffes of adverse evidence, for the fake of which, the experiments related in this paper were inftituted, viz. the cafes afferted of the small pox excited by inoculation recently after the cow pock and of the fmall pox fo excited, more remotely, viz. three or four years after the cow pock.

"1. The experiments above related in this paper, shew, that above fifty persons who had been vaccinated three to five years ago, and ten who had been vaccinated at a later period were incapable of taking the fmall pox by inoculation in circumstances chofen as most favourable for infection. For many of the fubjects were expofed to the effluvia from fmall pox patients; they were all inoculated in three times the ufual number of places; they were all inoculated with efficacious and recent matter; and with many of them unufual pains were bestowed to introduce the matter quite fluid immediately from the variolous patient. In these it seems fair to calculate that not more than one, or at most, two, of these fixty perfons would have escaped the fmall pox, if they had not already gone through that disease or its vicarious affection, the cow pock.

"2. These experiments ftrikingly manifeft that the fame perfon is equally incapable of taking the cow pock a fecond time, as of the fmail pox, as hath been proved five years ago, and been VOL. I.

-F f

*

fubfequently confirmed; and it has been elsewhere fhewn by many trials that a person cannot take the cow pock fubfequently to the fmall pox. Independently of the facts thus determined by experience, they have been demonftrated to be truths in another place five years ago, by reafoning according to a mathematical formula. Now, although these two latter truths alone do not demonftrate, with mathematical cogency, the truth that a person cannot take the small pox after the cow pock; yet the proof of this last truth, already fo firmly established by direct experiments, hereby becomes more full and indeed, perhaps, fuperabundant.

"3. The appearances obferved on the inoculated parts, in the above experiments, which fome may think unneceffarily minute, we apprehend will be found ferviceable, by informing the public of the variety of different forms of the local affection produced in fimilar cafes. It has been obferved in fome of our above experiments, that the local affection from the small pox matter resembled many cafes of the pock of the vaccina; and although an eye much accuftomed to view variolous eruptions, can never fail to fee the differences between fach eruptions and the local affections, in the present instances; yet we know from intercourfe with practitioners, that those who have not acquired fuch an habit of obfervation, are prone to be alarmed, in imagining that the eruption excited on a fecond inoculation is the small pox.

"4. The appearances of the inoculated parts in those who have had the cow pock are not only oftentimes different in different perfons, but they are even different in the several punctures of the fame arm; and, as far as we could judge, no appearances were remarked from the variolous infertions which did not alfo occafionally occur from the vaccine ones; except that the effects were generally less evident from the latter than the former. These varying appearances according to our

* Many cafes difprove this opinion; I was myself the first perfon in Philadelphia who had the disease, in the highest perfection; I could enumerate, a dozen perfons more, who have taken it after small pox, in confirmation, besides the numbers noticed in Europe.-Editor.

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