Page:Early History of Medicine in Philadelphia - George W Norris.djvu/122

 Annapolis, Maryland, entitled "A Defence of Dr. Thompson's Discourse," and was published here by Bradford in the same year.

In the year 1756 the smallpox was again prevalent, and, as we learn from Dr. Hamilton, of Bush Hill, "raged terribly all the summer and autumn, and swept away numbers of people." Some British troops under the command of Col. Boquet, who arrived in Philadelphia about this time, increased the ravages of the infection, so much so that Governor Denny, in his message to the Assembly in the month of December, said: "The smallpox is increasing among the soldiers to such a degree that the whole town will soon become a hospital." Inoculation was practised to some extent, but was not general, and the great prejudice against it was only slowly overcome. At this period a tract appeared from the pen of Dr. Laughlin Macleane, entitled