In the year 1792 Stinchcomb was inoculated with variolous matter, but no consequences ensued beyond a little inflammation in the arm for a few days.  A large party were inoculated at the same time, some of whom had the disease in a more violent degree than is commonly seen from inoculation.  He purposely associated with them, but could not receive the smallpox.

During the sickening of some of his companions their symptoms so strongly recalled to his mind his own state when sickening with the cow—­pox that he very pertinently remarked their striking similarity.

Case xii.—­The paupers of the village of Tortworth, in this county, were inoculated by Mr. Henry Jenner, Surgeon, of Berkeley, in the year 1795.  Among them, eight patients presented themselves who had at different periods of their lives had the cow-pox.  One of them, Hester Walkley, I attended with that disease when she lived in the service of a farmer in the same village in the year 1782; but neither this woman, nor any other of the patients who had gone through the cow-pox, received the variolous infection either from the arm or from mixing in the society of the other patients who were inoculated at the same time.  This state of security proved a fortunate circumstance, as many of the poor women were at the same time in a state of pregnancy.

Case xiii.—­One instance has occurred to me of the system being affected from the matter issuing from the heels of horses, and of its remaining afterwards unsusceptible of the variolous contagion; another, where the smallpox appeared obscurely; and a third, in which its complete existence was positively ascertained.

First, Thomas Pearce is the son of a smith and farrier near to this place.  He never had the cow-pox; but, in consequence of dressing horses with sore heels at his father’s, when a lad, he had sores on his fingers which suppurated, and which occasioned a pretty severe indisposition.  Six years afterwards I inserted variolous matter into his arm repeatedly, without being able to produce any thing more than slight inflammation, which appeared very soon after the matter was applied, and afterwards I exposed him to the contagion of the smallpox with as little effect. [Footnote:  It is a remarkable fact, and well known to many, that we are frequently foiled in our endeavours to communicate the smallpox by inoculation to blacksmiths, who in the country are farriers.  They often, as in the above instance, either resist the contagion entirely, or have the disease anomalously.  Shall we not be able to account for this on a rational principle?]

Case xiv.—­Secondly, Mr. James Cole, a farmer in this parish, had a disease from the same source as related in the preceding case, and some years after was inoculated with variolous matter.  He had a little pain in the axilla and felt a slight indisposition for three or four hours.  A few eruptions shewed themselves on the forehead, but they very soon disappeared without advancing to maturation.