An apology, for differing in opinion from the authors of the Monthly and Critical Reviews; on 1. Literary communications. 2. Variolous and vaccine inoculation. 3. Dr. Jenner's discovery of vaccine inoculation. 4. The means of preventing febrile contagion. 5. The establishment of charitable institutions / [John Coakley Lettsom].

  • Lettsom, John Coakley, 1744-1815.
Date:
1804
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An apology, for differing in opinion from the authors of the Monthly and Critical Reviews; on 1. Literary communications. 2. Variolous and vaccine inoculation. 3. Dr. Jenner's discovery of vaccine inoculation. 4. The means of preventing febrile contagion. 5. The establishment of charitable institutions / [John Coakley Lettsom]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    never been applied to any beneficial purpofe, till the genius of Jenner difcriminared its powers, and introduced it into praCtice, as a permanent fecu- rity againfl the variolous infection. This preven¬ tive quality of the vaccine fluid was certainly known even to fcientific profeflional men many years ago ; but, ftrange as it may now appear, no one, till Jenner promulgated his difcovery, had ever improved that knowledge, by applying it to the procefs of inoculation. About twenty years ago, when Dr. Archer was the phyfician of the hofpital for inoculation, Catherine Williams, now Titchenor, from Cricklade, in Wiltfhire, who had had the cow-pock in confequence of milking cows, came to her brother in London (where fhe is now refident), who, being defirous of afcer- taining whether this circumftance could be de¬ pended upon, as preventive of the fmall-pox, lent her to the hofpital for inoculation, when fhe received the variolous matter from Dr. Archer; againft which, however, fhe was proof; and the fmall-pox, of courfe, could not be communi¬ cated : but no advantage was derived from this fact. “ Archer was a prudent, cautious, and rather timid practitioner; and the hofpital for inoculation owes much of its importance to his perfevering at¬ tention to its interefts ; but he neither pofiefTed the fpirit or penetrating inquiry of Woodville;