anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第226部分

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rge　than　the　swords　of　Cortez　and　his　followers；　for　according　to　Robertson　it　swept　away　in　Mexico　three　millions　and　a　half　of　people。　In　1707　it　appeared　in　Iceland；　and　carried　off　more　than　one…fourth　of　its　inhabitants；　in　1733；　according　to　Collinson；　it　almost　depopulated　Greenland。　The　Samoyeds；　Ostiaks；　and　other　natives　of　Eastern　Siberia；　have　frequently　suffered　from　devastating　epidemics。　In　Kamchatka　the　disease　was　introduced　in　1767；　and　many　villages　were　completely　depopulated。　According　to　Moore；　at　the　beginning　of　the　eighteenth　century　nearly　one…fourteenth　of　the　population　died　from　small…pox　in　England；　and　at　the　end　of　the　century　the　number　of　the　victims　had　increased　to　one…tenth。　In　the　last　century　the　statement　was　made　in　England　that　one　person　in　every　three　was　badly　pock…marked。　The　mortality　of　the　disease　at　the　latter　half　of　the　eighteenth　century　was　about　three　to　every　thousand　inhabitants　annually。　India　has　always　been　a　fertile　ground　for　the　development　of　small…pox；　and　according　to　Rohe　the　mortality　from　small…pox　has　been　exceedingly　great　for　the　past　twenty　years。　From　1866　to　1869；　140；000　persons　died　in　the　Presidencies　of　Bombay　and　Calcutta；　and　several　years　later；　from　1873　to　1876；　700；000　died　from　this　disease。　China；　Japan；　and　the　neighboring　countries　are　frequently　visited　with　small…pox；　and　nearly　all　the　inhabitants　of　Corea　are　said　to　bear　evidences　of　the　disease。　In　the　Marquesas　Islands　one…fourth　of　the　inhabitants　had　fallen　victims　to　the　disease　since　1863。　It　was　first　introduced　into　the　Sandwich　Islands　in　1853；　and　it　then　carried　off　eight　per　cent　of　the　natives。　Australia；　Tasmania；　New　Zealand；　and　the　Fiji　Archipelago　have　to　the　present　day　remained　exempt　from　small…pox；　although　it　has　been　carried　to　Australia　in　vessels；　rigorous　quarantine　methods　have　promptly　checked　it。　On　the　American　continent　it　was　believed　that　small…pox　was　unknown　until　the　conquest　of　Mexico。　It　has　been　spread　through　various　channels　to　nearly　all　the　Indian　tribes　of　both　North　and　South　America；　and　among　these　primitive　people；　unprotected　by　inoculation　or　vaccination；　its　ravages　have　been　frightful。

That　small…pox　a　disease　so　general　and　so　fatal　at　one　timehas；　through　the　ingenuity　of　man；　in　civilized　communities　at　least；　become　almost　extinct；　is　one　of　the　greatest　triumphs　of　medicine。

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。　The　aim　he　had　in　view　was　too　great　for　ridicule　to　daunt；　or　indifference　to　discourage　him。　When　he　surveyed　the　mental　and　physical　agony　inflicted　by　the　disease；　and　the　thought　occurred　to　him　that　he　was　on　the　point　of　finding　a　sure　and　certain　remedy；　his　benevolent　heart　overflowed　with　unselfish　gladness。　No　feeling　of　personal　ambition；　no　hope　or　desire　of　fame；　sullied　the　purity　of　his　noble　philanthropy。　'While　the　vaccine　discovery　was　progressive；'　he　writes；　'the　joy　at　the　prospect　before　me　of　being　the　instrument　destined　to　take　away　from　the　world　one　of　its　greatest　calamities；　blended　with　the　fond　hope　of　enjoying　independence；　and　domestic　peace　and　happiness；　were　often　so　excessive；　that；　in　pursuing　my　favorite　subject　among　the　meadows；　I　have　sometimes　found　myself　in　a　kind　of　reverie。　It　is　pleasant　to　recollect　that　those　reflections　always　ended　in　devout　acknowledgments　to　that　Being　from　whom　this　and　all　other　blessings　flow。'　At　last　an　opportunity　occurred　of　putting　his　theory　to　the　test。　On　the　14th　day　of　May；　1796；the　day　marks　an　epoch　in　the　Healing　Art；　and　is　not　less　worthy　of　being　kept　as　a　national　thanksgiving　than　the　day　of　Waterloothe　cow…pox　matter　or　pus　was　taken　from　the　hand　of　one　Sarah　Holmes；　who　had　been　infected　from　her　master's　cows；　and　was　inserted　by　two　superficial　incisions　into　the　arms　of　James　Phipps；　a　healthy　boy　of　about　eight　years　of　age。　The　cow…pox　ran　its　ordinary　course　without　any　injurious　effect；　and　the　boy　was　afterward　inoculated　for　the　small…pox；happily　in　vain。　The　protection　was　complete；　and　Jenner　thenceforward　pursued　his　experiments　with　redoubled　ardor。　His　first　summary　of　them；　after　having　been　examined　and　approved　by　several　friends；　appeared　under　the　title　of　'An　Inquiry　into　the　Causes　and　Effects　of　the　Variolae　Vaccinae；'　in　June；　1798。　In　this　important　work　he　announced　the　security　against　the　small…pox　afforded　by　the　true　cow…pox；　and　proceeded　to　trace　the　origin　of　that　disease　in　the　cow　to　a　similar　affection　of　the　horse's　heel。〃

This　publication　produced　a　great　sensation　i