in the summer. As soon as she became calm and composed, we returned to her son. On interrogating him, he informed me that in the beginning of July last there were two dogs fighting desperately in the street, opposite his mother's house; and he, observing one of them had one of his eyes torn out, and the other dog likely to kill him, endeavoured to part them; but on taking hold of the dog he wished to rescue from the fury of the other, he received a bite from him on his right hand. Two of the dog's teeth penetrated the outside of the hand, but the palm of the hand was considerably wounded. This wound was dressed with Friar's balsam and poulticed, and was cured in a week or ten days. I examined his hand. There was a small degree of redness remaining, but no heat, or pain, where the wound had been in the palm of his hand, and no vestige whatever on the outside where the teeth had been. There was nothing observable in his throat, differing from its natural state; nor any increase of saliva. Pulse 88, rather feeble, and not quite regular. He had no thirst. He told me his choaking seemed to him as arising from wind; and that he always discharged a great deal from his throat whenever he attempted to swallow. He said he took some dill-seed water last night, and thought it relieved him; but never could get down more than a tea-spoonfull at a time, and that with great difficulty. In one attempt to swallow some of this water, he was so choaked and convulsed, that he would have fallen into the fire, his mother told me, if she had not saved him. I gave him some water in a pint pot twice; each time he swallowed about a tea-spoonfull, and both times was choaked and convulsed, with a wild staring in his eyes, and a trembling all over him: and immediately after the effort of swallowing, he made a hideous noise. The second time I gave him the water, I was much alarmed; I thought it would have occasioned a fatal convulsion. It is impossible to describe a sound; and I can compare the noise he made, which was from repeated spasmodic contractions of the organs of respiration, to nothing but to that sort of stifled barking which dogs sometimes make when disturbed in their sleep; or to the hoarse short barking of a drover's dog. When he took the pot in his hand, he fell into a tremor, held down his head, and was in great distress; he kept the pot in his hand a few seconds before he could summon courage to lift it to his mouth; after which I took it from him, as from his agony he could not hold it. He bore the sight of the water in the pot, while it was in my hand, when it was not offered him to drink; but when I brought a large bason filled with water, and put it before his eyes, he seemed frightened; and when I agitated the water near him, he was instantly attacked with what he called "the wind rising in his throat," trembling, and that hoarse faucial noise before mentioned. He entreated me not to order any medicine for him in a liquid form, as he said he could not take it; and the attempt, he was certain, would kill him. He said he could swallow any solid substance. I put this to the proof; and, as he had been costive for several days, I gave him four aperient pills, which he swallowed one at a time, but with some difficulty. He had now been with me three quarters of an hour, when he and Mrs. Metcalf left Al bany, bany, with the best advice I could give, and walked back to Comptonstreet. From his appearance and conversation, no person would have thought there was any indisposition about him. His voice and speech had suffered no alteration. He was in the eighteenth year of his age; a fine youth, in mind as well as in person. His humanity here was his misfortune. With what grief did I see him depart from Albany with his poor mother, knowing, as I did, that he had but a few hours to live! I visited him at eight o'clock in the evening. Pulse 110, and very feeble. I gave him some water. In attempting to drink, the usual consequences -choaking, wildness in the eyes, and the noise in the throat, followed. The pills operated about nine o'clock, several times. About ten o'clock he became so violently convulsed, that four young men, his brothers, could scarcely keep him in his bed; but he made no attempt to bite any person. He began also to foam at the mouth, with white froth. The quantity of this froth was so great, as to require many towels and handkerchiefs, in wiping it from his mouth. At this period he likewise -became delirious at intervals, but at times in his perfect senses; and complained, though in a very warm room, of being cold, and begged to be kept warm. In this condition he continued until one o'clock on the following morning, when, from his violent convulsive exertions and struggling, he was entirely exhausted, and remained calm and quiet afterwards. He expired at a quarter before two, 18 weeks from the accident; 46 hours from the commencement of the hydrophobia, and ten hours after I first saw him. . R. M. Report of the Royal College of Physicians of London, on Vaccination. Presented to the House of Commons. The royal college of physicians of London, having received his maje sty's commands, in compliance with an address from the house of commons, "to inquire into the state of vaccine inoculation in the United Kingdom, to report their opinion and observations upon that practice, upon the evidence which has been adduced in its support, and upon the causes which have hitherto retarded its general adoption;" have applied themselves diligently to the business referred to them. Deeply impressed with the importance of an enquiry which equally involves the lives of individuals, and the public prosperity, they have made every exertion to investigate the subject fully and impartially. In aid of the knowledge and experience of the members of their own body, they have applied separately to each of the licentiates of the college; they have corresponded with the colleges of physicians of Dublin and Edinburgh; with the colleges of surgeons of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin; they have called upon the societies established for vaccination, for an account, of their practice, to what extent it has been carried on, and what has been the result of their experience; and they have, by public notice, invited individuals to contribute whatever information they had severally collected, They have in consequence been furnished with a mass of evidence communicated with the greatest readiness and candour, which enables them to speak with confidence 303 upon upon all the principal points re- to the contrary being extremely rare. ferred to them. The disease excited by it is slight, 1. During eight years which have and seldom prevents those under elapsed since. Dr. Jenner niade his it from following their ordinary ocdiscovery public, the prog.ess of cupations. It has been communivaccination has been rapid, not only cated with safety to pregnant woin all parts of the United Kingdom, men, to children during dentition, but in every quarter of the civilized and in their earliest infancy; in all world. In the British islauds some which respects it possesses material • bundred thousands have been vacci- advantages over inoculation for the nated, in our possessions in the East Small-pox; which, though producIndies upwards of 800,000, and tive of a disease generally -mild, among the nations of Europe the yet sometimes occasions alarming practice has become general. Pro- symptoms, and is in a few cases fessional men bave submitted it to fatal, the fairest trials, and the public The security derived from vacci. have, for the most part, received it nation against the small-pox, if not without prejudice. A few iudeed absolutely perfect, is as nearly so as have stood forth the adversaries of can perhaps be expected from any vaccination, on the same grounds as human discovery; for amongst setheir predecessors who opposed the veral hundred thousand cases, with inoculation for the small-pox, falsely the results of which the college have led by hypothetical reasoning in the been made acquainted, the number investigation of a subject which of alleged failures has been sur: must be supported, or rejected, prizingly small; so much so, as' to upon facts and observation only. form certainly no reasonable obWith these few exceptions, the tes- jection to the general adoption of timony in favour of vaccination has vaccination; for it appears, that been most strong and satisfactory, there are not nearly so many failand the practice of it, though it has ures, in a given number of vacci received a check in some quarters, nated persons, as there are deaths appears still to be upon the increase in an equal number of persons inin most parts of the United King- oculated for the small-pox. Nothing dom. can more clearly demonstrate the II. The college of physicians, in superiority of vaccination over giving their observations and opi- the inoculation of the small-pox, nions on the practice of vaccination, than this consideration; and it is a think it right to premise, that they most important fact, which has been advance nothing but what is sup- confirmed in the course of this ported by the multiplied and un- inquiry, that in almost every case, equivocal evidence which has been where the small-pox has succeeded brought before thein, and they have vaccination, whether by inoculation not considered any facts as proved or by casual infection, the disease but what have been stated from has varied much from its ordinary actual observation. it has neither been the Vaccination appears to be in ge- same in the violence, nor in the neral perfectly safe; the instances duration of its symptoms; but has, course ; with few exceptions, been to have kept up a constant source remarkably mild, as if the small- of contagion, which has been the pox had been deprive“, by the pre- means of increasing the number of vious vaccine disease, of all its usual deaths by what is called the natural palignity. disease. It cannot be doubted that The testimonies before the col- this mischief has been extended by lege of plıysicians are very decided the inconsiderate manner in which in declaring, that vaccination does great numbers of persons, even less mischief to the constitution, and since the introduction of vaccination, less frequently gives rise to other are still every year inoculated with diseases, ihan the small-pos, either the sinall-pox, and afterwards renatural or inoculated. quired to attend two or three timés The college feel themselves call- a week at the places of inoculaed upon to state this strongly, be- tion, through every stage of their cause it has been objected to vac- illness. cination, that it provuces new, un- From this, then, the public are to heard-of, and monstrous diseases. expect the great and uncontroverted Of such assertions no. proofs fiave superiority of vaccination, that it been produced; and, after diligent communicates no casual infection, inquiry, the college believe them io and, while it is a protection to the have been either the inventions of individual, it is not prejudicial to designing, or the mistakes of igno- the public. rant men. In these respects, then, II. The college of physicians, in in its inildness, its safety, and its reporting their observations and opie consequences, the individual may nions on the evidence adduced in look for the peculiar advantages of support of vaccination, feel themvaccination. The benefits which selves authorized to state that a flow from it to society are infinitely body of evidence so large, so temmore considerable; it spreads no perate, and so consistent, was per. infection, and can be communicated haps never before collected upon only by inoculation. It is from a any medical question. A discovery consideration of the pernicious effects so novel, and to which there was of the smal-pox, that the real value nothing analogous known in nature, of vaccination is to be estimated. though resting on the experimental The natural small-pox has beeo observations of the inventor, was at supposed to destroy a sixth part of first received with diffidence: it was all whom it attacks; and that even er, difficult for others to by inoculation, where that has been repeat his experiments, by which general in parishes and towns, about the truth of his observations was one in three hundred has usually confirmed, and the doubts of the died. It is not sufficiently known, cautious were gradually dispelled by or not adverted to, that nearly one- extensive experience. At the comtenth, some years more than one- mencement of the practice, almost tenth, of the whole mortality in all that were vaccivated were afterLondon is occasioned by the small- wards submitted to the inoculation pox; and however beneficial the of the small-pox; many underwent inoculation of the small-pox may this operation a second, and even have been to individuals, it appears a third time, and the uniform suce not, how 3 O 4 cess upon all the principal points re- to the contrary being extrer ferred to them. The disease excited by it 1. During eight years which have and seldom prevents tho elapsed since Dr. Jenner made his it from following their oroli discovery public, the prog.ess of cupations. It has been ci vaccination has been rapid, not only cated with safety to pregn. in all parts of the United Kingdom, men, to children during di but in every quarter of the civilized and in their earliest infancy world. In the British islands some which respects it possesses i .bundred thousands have been vacci- advantages over inoculation nated, in our possessions in the East small-pox; which, though Indies upwards of 800,000, and tive of a disease generally among the nations of Europe the yet sometimes occasions ala practice has become general. Pro- symptoms, and is in a few fessional men have submitted it to fatal, the fairest trials, and the public The security derived from have, for the most part, received it nation against the small-pox, i without prejudice. A few indeed absolutely perfect, is as nearly have stood forth the adversaries of can perhaps be expected trom vaccination, on the same grounds as human discovery; for amongst their predecessors who opposed the veral hundred thousand cases, inoculation for the small-pox, falsely the results of which the college led by hypothetical reasoning in the been made acquainted, the num investigation of a subject which of alleged failures has been must be supported, or rejected, prizingly small; so much so, as upon facts and observation only. form certainly no reasonabler With these few exceptions, the tes- jection to the general adoption timony in favour of vaccination has vaccination; for it appears, th been most strong and satisfactory, there are not nearly so many fa and the practice of it, though it has ures, in a given number of vace received a check in some quarters, nated persons, as there are death appears still to be upon the increase in an equal number of persons in in most parts of the United King- oculated for the small-pox. Nothium dom. can more clearly demonstrate the II. The college of physicians, in superiority of vaccination giving their observations and opi- the inoculation of the small-pox, nions on the practice of vaccination, than this consideration ; and it is a think it right to premise, that they most important fact, which lias been advance pothing but what is sup- confirmed in the course of this ported by the multiplied and un- inquiry, that in almost every case, equivocal evidence which has been where the small-pox has succecded brought before thein, and they have vaccination, whether by inoculation not considered any facts as proved or by casual infection, the disease but what have been stated from has varied much from its ordinary actual observation. course; it has neither been the Vaccination appears to be in ge same in the violence, nor in the neral perfectly safe; the instances duration of its symptoms; but has, over |