Boylston in his Account recites his cases with, we think, general veracity. He performed 244 inoculations, and says, “there were in the towns near Boston about 36 persons more inoculated, which all did well; namely, by Dr. Roby about 11, and by Dr. Thomson about 25, which, together with my 244, make up the number of 280; out of which number died only 6 persons, notwithstanding all the difficulties the practice laboured under.”
Beyond measure extraordinary was the bland assurance wherewith Boylston, in common with Mather and others, assumed and argued that the 280 inoculated had been thereby delivered from the plague of smallpox and death. Accepting the improbable supposition that the 280 were a fair average of 15,000 Bostonians, of whom one-third took smallpox, we have to abstract two-thirds of the 280, or 186 as superfluously inoculated, leaving 93 saved from smallpox. If we then inquire how many of these were saved from death, and resort to Boylston’s statistics, who says,—
In 1721 and beginning of 1722 there were in Boston 5759 persons who had smallpox in the natural way, out of which number died 844; so that the proportion that die of natural smallpox appears to be one in six, or between that of six and seven—[7]
We find the number no more than 15, from which, if we deduct the 6 who died under his hand, his trophies are reduced to 9, to save whom he put 280 into serious sickness and jeopardy—so serious indeed in some instances (as appears from his own notes) that there was slight reason to prefer inoculated to spontaneous smallpox.
Viewed thus in his own light—a light most favourable, how vain, not to say impudent, was such boasting as this—
Now, if there be any one that can find a faithful account or history of any other method or practice that has carried such a number of all ages, sexes, constitutions, and colours, and in the worst seasons of the year, through the smallpox; or indeed through any other acute distemper with better success, then I will alter my opinion of this; and until then, I shall value and esteem this method of inoculating the smallpox as the most beneficial and successful that ever was discovered to, and practised by mankind in this world.[8]
And, gaining courage through his own noise, he went yet farther, and proclaimed that smallpox was tamed and subdued—
It is, and shall be acknowledged, to the praise and glory of God, that whereas a most wild, cruel, fierce and violent distemper, and which has destroyed millions of lives, is now (by that happy discovery made of its transplantation) become tractable, safe and gentle.[9]
In the knowledge of the emptiness of this bounce, it may seem malicious to withdraw it from forgetfulness; but it serves to point the truth that human nature in 1726 was much the same as human nature at this day, and that the same arts of audacious assertion and rowdy rhetoric were in practice then as now. Indeed, whoever is sufficiently wicked to presume on the natural trustfulness of mankind, and will lie loud enough and long enough, may attain an appalling success—as our story, alas! will prove.