“A curious fact has lately fallen under my observation, on which I leave you to comment.

“I visited a patient with the confluent smallpox and charged a lancet with some of the matter.  Two days afterwards I was desired to inoculate a woman and four children with the cow-pox, and I inadvertently took the vaccine matter on the same lancet which was before charged with that of smallpox.  In three days I discovered the mistake, and fully expected that my five patients would be infected with smallpox; but I was agreeably surprised to find the disease to be genuine cow-pox, which proceeded without deviating in any particular from my former cases.  I afterwards inoculated these patients with variolous matter, but all of them resisted its action.

“I omitted mentioning another great advantage that now occurs to me in the inoculated cow-pox; I mean, the safety with which pregnant women may have the disease communicated to them.  I have inoculated a great number of females in that situation, and never observed their cases to differ in any respect from those of my other patients.  Indeed, the disease is so mild that it seems as if it might at all times be communicated with the most perfect safety.”

I shall here take the opportunity of thanking Dr. Marshall and those other gentlemen who have obligingly presented me with the result of their inoculations; but, as they all agree in the same point as that given in the above communication, namely, the security of the patient from the effects of the smallpox after the cow-pox, their perusal, I presume, would afford us no satisfaction that has not been amply given already.  Particular occurrences I shall, of course, detail.  Some of my correspondents have mentioned the appearance of smallpox-like eruptions at the commencement of their inoculations; but in these cases the matter was derived from the original stock at the Smallpox Hospital.

I have myself inoculated a very considerable number from the matter produced by Dr. Marshall’s patients, originating in the London cow, without observing pustules of any kind, and have dispersed it among others who have used it with a similar effect.  From this source Mr. H. Jenner informs me he has inoculated above an hundred patients without observing eruptions.  Whether the nature of the virus will undergo any change from being farther removed from its original source in passing successively from one person to another time alone can determine.  That which I am now employing has been in use near eight months, and not the least change is perceptible in its mode of action either locally or constitutionally.  There is, therefore, every reason to expect that its effects will remain unaltered and that we shall not be under the necessity of seeking fresh supplies from the cow.

The following observations were obligingly sent me by Mr. Tierny, Assistant Surgeon to the South Gloucester Regiment of Militia, to whom I am indebted for a former report on this subject: