Two letters relative to the Vaccine Institution, addressed to the members of the Hon. the General Assembly of Maryland / by James Smith, United States' agent of vaccination.

  • Smith, James, 1771-1841.
Date:
1818
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Two letters relative to the Vaccine Institution, addressed to the members of the Hon. the General Assembly of Maryland / by James Smith, United States' agent of vaccination. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    itously; and it is a fact that I arn now deriving my chic! supply of matter from the state of Pennsylvania, where I have sent an agent to vaccinate under my direction, for the express purpose of procuring fresh matter, in sufficient quantity for my present purposes. If the Small Pox, how- ever, was not severely punishing the citizens of Pennsylva- nia for their stupid neglect of vaccination, I would find it more difficult, perhaps, to procure the vaccine matter among them, than I now do to renew it in the city of Baltimore, where I can alwa$5Ulnd some few who will thank me for vac- cinating them. I am well aware that my vaccine Institution has been stated, hy some of my medical brethren near me, to be of but little value; and they allege that they have always been able to procure the vaccine matter here, whenever they wanted it. This may be very true, but if it proves any thing at all, it proves the great value of the very Institution w hich they would wish to destroy. I do not fear to be contradict- ed, when 1 state that there is not one practitioner of medi- cine in this city, who has ever yet preserved his own supply of vaccine matter, longer than for short periods of time; when called on to vaccinate in the regular course of practice. When the Small Pox has been introduced at anytime, I have always experienced a \ery general demand for it by the phy- sicians of this city, and it is seldom that many days pass by, without some one, or more of them, calling on me to re- new their supply of matter. As I have always given it to practitioners in Baltimore, free of any fees or charges, so likewise they distribute it on the same terms. If every practitioner in this city, therefore, can in this way, procure the vaccine matter when he has occasion to use it, itcertain- ly ought not be urged as an argument against the Institution. If the genuine matter can be procured at any time by those who want it, itis of no consequence whether it be taken from me, or from others who are directly or indirectly fur- nished from the Institution. The case, however, is entirely different, as regards practitioners and private families re- siding in the country, or in any part of the state, at a dis- tance from this city. When these citizens want it they find it most convenient to resort directly to the Institution; and at such times as they have been heretofore visited by the Small Pox, they have experienced that there was no other way than by an immediate and direct application to this In- stitution, in which they could procure, with any degree of Certainty, a remedy thus become essentially necessary for their sa/ety.