登陆注册
4281000000422

第422章

Inoculation was known in Europe about 1700, and in 1717 the famous letter of Lady Montagu from Adrianople was issued, containing in part the following statements:--"The small-pox, so fatal and so general amongst us, is here entirely harmless, by the invention of ingrafting, which is the term they give it. There is a set of old women who make it their business to perform the operation every autumn in the month of September, when the great heat is abated. People send to one another to know if any of their family has a mind to have the small-pox; they make parties for this purpose, and when they are met, the old woman comes with a nut-shell full of the matter of the best sort of small-pox, and asks what vein you please to have opened. She immediately rips open that you offer her with a large needle, and puts into the vein as much matter as can lie upon the head of her needle, and after that binds up the little wound with a hollow shell, and in this manner opens four or five veins."Soon after this letter Lady Montagu had her son inoculated in Turkey, and four years later her daughter was to be the first subject inoculated in England. She made rapid progress notwithstanding the opposition of the medical profession, and the ignorance and credulity of the public. The clergy vituperated her for the impiety of seeking to control the designs of Providence.

Preaching in 1722, the Rev. Edward Massey, for example, affirmed that Job's distemper was confluent small-pox, and that he had been inoculated by the Devil. Lady Montagu, however, gained many supporters among the higher classes. In 1721 Mead was requested by the Prince of Wales to superintend the inoculation of some condemned criminals, the Prince intending afterward to continue the practice in his own family; the experiment was entirely successful, and the individuals on whom it was made afterward received their liberty (Adams).

According to Rohe, inoculation was introduced into this country in 1721 by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston of Boston, who had his attention directed to the practice by Cotton Mather, the eminent divine.

During 1721 and 1722 286 persons were inoculated by Boylston and others in Massachusetts, and six died. These fatal results rendered the practice unpopular, and at one time the inoculation hospital in Boston was closed by order of the Legislature. Toward the end of the century an inoculating hospital was again opened in that city.

Early in the eighteenth century inoculation was extensively practiced by Dr. Adam Thomson of Maryland, who was instrumental in spreading a knowledge of the practice throughout the Middle States.

Despite inoculation, as we have already seen, during the eighteenth century the mortality from small-pox increased. The disadvantage of inoculation was that the person inoculated was affected with a mild form of small-pox, which however, was contagious, and led to a virulent form in uninoculated persons.

As universal inoculation was manifestly impracticable, any half-way measure was decidedly disadvantageous, and it was not until vaccination from cow-pox was instituted that the first decided check on the ravages of small-pox was made.

Vaccination was almost solely due to the persistent efforts of Dr. Edward Jenner, a pupil of the celebrated John Hunter, born May 17, 1749.

In his comments on the life of Edward Jenner, Adams, in "The Healing Art," has graphically described his first efforts to institute vaccination, as follows: "To the ravages of small-pox, and the possibility of finding some preventive Jenner had long given his attention. It is likely enough that his thoughts were inclined in this direction by the remembrance of the sufferings inflicted upon himself by the process of inoculation. Through six weeks that process lingered. He was bled, purged, and put on a low diet, until 'this barbarism of human veterinary practice' had reduced him to a skeleton. He was then exposed to the contagion of the small-pox. Happily, he had but a mild attack; yet the disease itself and the inoculating operations, were probably the causes of the excessive sensitiveness which afflicted him through life.

"When Jenner was acting as a surgeon's articled pupil at Sudbury, a young countrywoman applied to him for advice. In her presence some chance allusion was made to the universal disease, on which she remarked: 'I shall never take it, for I have had the cow-pox.' The remark induced him to make inquiries; and he found that a pustular eruption, derived from infection, appeared on the hands of milkers, communicated from the teats of cows similarly disordered; this eruption was regarded as a safeguard against small-pox. The subject occupied his mind so much that he frequently mentioned it to John Hunter and the great surgeon occasionally alluded to it in his lectures, but never seems to have adopted Jenner's idea that it might suggest some efficacious substitute for inoculation. Jenner, however, continued his inquiries, and in 1780 he confided to his friend, Edward Gardner, his hope and prayer that it might be his work in life to extirpate smallpox by the mode of treatment now so familiar under the name of vaccination.

"At the meetings of the Alveston and Radborough Medical Clubs, of both of which Jenner was a member, he so frequently enlarged upon his favorite theme, and so repeatedly insisted upon the value of cow-pox as a prophylactic, that he was denounced as a nuisance, and in a jest it was even proposed that if the orator further sinned, he should then and there be expelled. Nowhere could the prophet find a disciple and enforce the lesson upon the ignorant;like most benefactors of mankind he had to do his work unaided.

Patiently and perseveringly he pushed forward his investigations.

同类推荐
  • 胁门

    胁门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 宋真宗御制玉京集

    宋真宗御制玉京集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 台湾郑氏始末

    台湾郑氏始末

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Men of Iron

    Men of Iron

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 促织经

    促织经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • A Simple Soul

    A Simple Soul

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 张恨水经典作品系列:虎贲万岁

    张恨水经典作品系列:虎贲万岁

    该书作于1945年,是第一部直接描写国民党正面战场著名战役——常德保卫战的长篇小说,也是中国第一部现代战史小说。作品描写代号“虎贲”的74军57师在日军六万余人的包围中,同仇敌忾,背水一战,“以一敌八”,苦战十余日,与日寇浴血巷战,得以使援军合围,保卫住了常德。全师八千余人,仅有83人生还,全书写得可歌可泣,气壮山河。
  • 嫡女谋:天命凰途

    嫡女谋:天命凰途

    她生于高门,长于望族,看惯了勾心斗角,习惯了权力厮杀。从王府到深宫,从倾国倾城的高门嫡女到尊贵无比的后宫之主,她可以把自己深爱的男人送上龙椅,也可以用铁血手腕翻覆乱世!天下为局,江山为子,芊芊素手拨动暗涌风云。王府魑魅魍魉蛰伏,帝王心思难以捉摸,朝堂波暗诡谲不断,各路白莲纷纷涌现。江山?美人?舍我其谁?沙场点兵,她挥斥方遒,后宅夺嫡,她艳杀天下。金戈铁马,万里江山,总敌不过他一句“待我君临天下,定以江山为聘,天下为媒!”
  • 快穿女配反派boss别傲娇

    快穿女配反派boss别傲娇

    (全文1v1,男女主强势互宠,放心食用)当知道要穿越世界时慕依是懵逼的,还有这种骚操作?!!真是666了。当穿越世界后慕依是无奈的。哎!那个反派,麻烦你不要说黑化就黑化好吗?你黑化就黑化也麻烦你不要对我动手动脚好吗?反派欺身而上,轻声低笑道“给你两个选择—一你跟着我走。”慕依猛摇头,不,这个选择pass掉。她眼睛闪闪期待地看着他“二呢?”反派似笑非笑看着她“呵,二,当然是我跟着你走。”慕依:Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
  • 溅落星辰之鬼娘子

    溅落星辰之鬼娘子

    碧清,自有记忆开始,就是一只寄宿在他人躯体上的魂魄,中华五千年历史她参与了大半,见识过形形色色的人,什么宫斗、战争、武林、豪门恩怨、民国深宅、特工警察她都门儿清,即使这次混穿到异世大陆,她还是那副冰冷傲娇的模样,日子还不是一样过。却不想一切在遇到了花君离这个大麻烦后发生了变化,他说他们之间有婚约?开什么国际玩笑?她当他祖宗都够格了!他的那些撩妹技巧,还是去哄小朋友吧!这个大麻烦还是远离吧,要不总有一些小苍蝇需要我去拍灭。九城六域四池纷纷不让她安宁,清冷?傲娇?那只是她的一面,只有和她签订了契约寄宿在她碧玉佩里的十四只魂魄才知道,敢欺负她?敢欺负她的人?那就要做好比死还要可怕的觉悟。
  • 妈妈和女儿的悄悄话

    妈妈和女儿的悄悄话

    一起快乐,一起成长。女儿是妈妈生命的延续,母女间的对话好像变得不一样了。从出生那一天开始,女儿天天成长,妈妈与女儿的互动似乎也不断地在发生变化,突然有一天,妈妈发现,女儿不再是贴心小宝贝了,女儿越来越前卫。女儿是妈妈贴心的小宝贝,这话应该不会错的,但时代的改变,社会的信息来得太多,女儿的生活方式远远出乎妈妈成长时的经历,乐观、成功、开朗、时髦的妈妈也必须跟着越来越摩登时髦才是啊!辣妈咪,才不会让女儿逃之夭夭,离得越来越远! 本书讲述了一个麻辣妈咪的教女经历!
  • 爱若初见:何处不相逢

    爱若初见:何处不相逢

    婚姻中忍痛分离的爱人,聚会上重逢的初恋情人,还有一直在身边默默守候的蓝颜知己,几个男女之间的情路百折千回。是是非非,恩怨情仇后,有谁是陪秦非走到最后的人呢?
  • 重生超级高手在都市

    重生超级高手在都市

    一滴水重于山岳,一根草划破无尽虚空,挥手间天旋地转,翻手为云覆手为雨……大千世界万族林立,一位位天之至尊演绎着令人向往的传奇,追寻着那超脱之路。有古神族屹立云端威压众生;有魔族大尊战天斗地威震星空;有北方圣殿万妖之王战威无可敌;有极西之地满天神佛教化众生镇天地。少年洛天觉醒记忆,从慌域而出,闯入了那精彩绝伦的纷争世界,走出了一条血海白骨路,登临绝顶,主宰星空,称霸万域。
  • 身份心理学

    身份心理学

    以心理学、营销学的观点解析身份和影响力的内在逻辑。吸引高层次人群的人际关系法则。越是好的越多人抢,越多人抢就越是好的,你明白这种不成逻辑的逻辑背后的心理秘密吗?场面大了,会吓跑人群中的绝大部分;场面小了,有实力的人又看不上。你明白这个“面子”问题背后的心理秘密吗?形象代表人的本质,影响力就是一种生产力,你了解这种名与实之间互相转化背后的心理秘密吗?外表漂亮者比不漂亮者更为成功,你知道这种视觉效应背后的心理秘密吗?
  • 神级小商贩

    神级小商贩

    新书《我的吃货商店》开始上传——胖子沈麒麟在手机里下载了一款软件,名字叫:吃货商店。这款软件神奇的很,只要每天完成不同的吃货任务,就可以兑换商店里新奇的商品。想要魔术手套?一斤木耳两管芥末,一口气吃掉即可。想要东海避水珠?让活章鱼在你嘴里蠕动一会儿吧!想要末世旅行卡?这东西可贵重了,你得吃个丧尸才能得到!对于沈麒麟来说,吃是件幸福的事儿,只是这么吃下去,脂肪堆积,唯恐健康。吃货商店发来一条新的消息:您可用身体脂肪兑换抽奖机会。有了吃货商店,胖子变男神高富帅就不再是梦了。一句话简介:一个吃货的欢乐发展史。