From the time of the publication of the Inquiry in June, 1798, the author contributed no further inoculated cases to the end of that year; nor could I do more than investigate the history of the Cowpox principally by inquiries among provincial physicians and farmers, from whom I was enabled to confirm some of the facts in Dr. Jenner’s book, and to render doubtful or disprove others, and to bring to light new observations.[108]
Jenner was not slow to respond to his nephew’s summons to London. He left Berkeley on the 21st of March, and remained in town until the 11th of June, visiting medical men, asserting his own claims, and counter-acting the operations of Pearson and Woodville.
In Dr. Pearson’s circular, it will be observed, that he described inoculation with cowpox as attended with eruptions in some cases, which could not be distinguished from smallpox. So far as Pearson and Woodville were concerned, it was an unfortunate statement, and gave Jenner an advantage over them which he used unsparingly to their discredit.
Jenner’s claim for inoculation with cowpox was, that it excited a fever that was not infectious and was without pustular eruptions; and here was Dr. Pearson setting up as his critic, and Dr. Woodville assuming to develop his practice, and producing a disorder that was indistinguishable from smallpox! Such presumption and ignorance deserved to be hooted.
What was the explanation? Simply this: that Woodville conducted some of his cowpox inoculations in the variolous atmosphere of his Hospital, and that he thereby communicated smallpox and cowpox simultaneously. In a scientific sense, the experience was valuable; it proved that it was possible to have cowpox and smallpox at the same time—that neither disease superseded or nullified the other.
Woodville tried to vindicate himself, and in his failure magnified Jenner’s triumph still further. Yet he had much that was reasonable to say for himself. For example, he had transmitted to Jenner some of the virus from one of the first of his cowpox inoculations in January, and with it Jenner operated on twenty persons, reporting to Woodville—
Berkeley, February, 1799.
The rise, progress, and termination of the pustules created by the virus were exactly that of the true Cowpox.
Nevertheless, wrote Woodville—
This virus which Dr. Jenner declared to be perfectly pure and genuine was taken from the arm of an hospital patient who had 310 pustules, all of which suppurated.