Page:New observations on inoculation - Angelo Gatti.djvu/68

54 ? The lower-class, undoubtedly; the poor country people, who, left to the care of nature, blindly follow her dictates.

Particular observations may be still more convincing; let any one therefore alternately follow our rules, and those which are commonly practised; and first try them upon the inoculated small-pox, as being so mild in itself, that some little errors in the management can hardly make it very dangerous or mortal.

But I would not be misunderstood. When I propose trying the rules commonly practised, I am far from meaning what is too often done in the natural small-pox, when, under the notion of throwing out the variolous humour, driving it to the skin, drawing it down to the legs, removing it from the nobler parts, and easing the stomach of those humours which occasion anxieties and retchings, the poor patient is covered up warm in bed, in a hot close room, vomited, bled, blistered, and plied with cordials, apozems, &c. This indeed would be enough to make even inoculation fatal. By common practice I mean that, which is generally followed by the wisest and most humane inoculators, and which consists in treating this disorder as they would any gentle fever of much the same duration, though of a different nature. A patient would in that case be kept in bed, in a room moderately warm; fed with broth, eggs, milk-porridge, and allowed any of the cooling and aperitive drinks. Let