applying the vaccine to the denuded surface. By this process no blood was drawn, and the operation was so gentle that few infants cried under it. The drops and even streams of blood frequently exhibited at the public vaccinations not only interfered with the success of the operation, but painfully impressed the spectators, and in their minds was an argument against vaccination. The extravagant cry against vaccination has done this good: it has stirred up the profession to look more carefully to the quality of the vaccine matter, and as Government compels all to be vaccinated, Dr. Wyld thought that Government should guarantee a supply of pure vaccine either from the heifer or otherwise.

Dr. COOPER.-If we are to have a paper upon vaccination at a homœopathic society there is no one we could select for investigating the subject better qualified for the task than Mr. Blackley; his painstaking and observant papers upon hay asthma in recent numbers of the British Journal of Homœopathy sufficiently show this. Mr. Blackley possesses that patience and keen discrimination that eminently fit him for the inquiry. I could wish, however, that we approached the subject more as homœopaths; as such we possess certain theories of the actions of substances upon the economy that we ought to put in force when we come to investigate such a matter as that of vaccination. Hence the primary question for us is to consider what the properties are of the vaccine lymph upon the economy; viewed in a homoeopathic point of view it is unscientific to suppose that the lymph has but one property and that the protecting against smallpox; and that our principles do not belie us, but, on the contrary, that there is every reason to suppose that the lymph possesses strong medicinal properties, besides its counteracting power over smallpox, is evident from the cases of obstinate eczema reported some time since in the British Medical Journal, and which, after resisting alll ordinary means of cure, succumbed to the action of vaccine lymph introduced after the usual fashion. And thus, as we find very often the introduction of vaccine lymph into the system to be followed by very intractable forms of eczema, so we also find that for equally intractable forms of the disease it furnishes us with the best means of cure we can exhibit. Nor need we listen to those who assert that they have been vaccinators for years and yet have never seen any untoward results to ensue. At a recent meeting of the Clinical Society, Jonathan Hutchinson administered a very proper rebuke to a gentleman who made a boast of this kind-"Yes," said he, "and had you vaccinated these children who are now suffering from vaccino-syphilis you would be making the same assertion, for the person who vaccinated them had no idea of its occurrence until I pointed it out to him." Dr. Wyld's assertion, though in compliance with received opinion, is by no means proved, namely, that it is the globule of blood intermingled with the

lymph and not the lymph itself that is the carrier of infection; this as well as many other matters connected with vaccination requires further investigation; and it certainly follows from our principles that however protective against smallpox the vaccine lymph may be, it yet is too powerful a substance to trifle with and ought not to be introduced indiscriminately into human bodies, but rather that some selection ought to be made. As showing the specific action of the lymph, a case occurred under my care in Southampton, where a young lady had been suffering from year to year with debility attended with constantly recurring pricking pains in the left side of the chest. When the smallpox epidemic came she was vaccinated three or four times without its taking, and the last time a slight redness appeared on the arm, nothing more; but ever since, whether from vaccination or not, her health has become completely restored and the pains have left altogether. This would seem to show that the introduction of the lymph without any subsequent vesicular formation may affect the system. And why should it not? It is one thing to obtain its prophylactic properties, for which the vesicle seems necessary, and quite another to secure its other medicinal properties.

Dr. HALE described his method of vaccinating, which was simply by gently removing the cuticle with the edge of the lancet, taking care to avoid drawing blood, and then rubbing the point over the denuded surface. In this way he had often vaccinated infants even while asleep. In confirmation of Mr. Kyngdon's experience on the experiment upon a cow, when Dr. Hale vaccinated one of his children, not only was there the usual normal vesicle on the arm, but a perfect vesicle appeared on the loins simultaneously with those on the arm, showing that the system generally was thoroughly under the influence of the vaccine virus. The question of immunity from infection is a difficult one upon which to lay down any positive law ; some people are sure to contract infection whenever exposed to it, others resist it and escape; we can only account for such a difference by the differing idiosyncrasies of individuals. Dr. Hale dissents from Dr. Yeldham's opinion, and considers that during an epidemic of smallpox we ought to give people the chance of increased immunity by re-vaccination; now, although there were sufficient evidence of previous successful vaccination, and knowing as we do that in the human subject there is a complete metamorphosis of all the tissues every seven years, it is reasonable to suppose that the preservative effect of vaccination may be dissipated in that time. Referring to the theory of the change of type in disease, if it meant that which is observed in specific fevers, he was quite ready to admit it, but if applied to acute inflammations he entirely rejected such a theory, which was now wellnigh exploded in the profession. During the late epidemic of smallpox a correspondent of the Lancet had

commnnicated some very remarkable results of the treatment of smallpox by re-vaccination in the early stage. Dr. Hale some years ago had given Vaccinia in smallpox, but with apparently negative results, but were he now called upon to treat smallpox he should feel very much inclined to try the effect of vaccination as a remedial measure, hoping thereby to at least modify the disease. Dr. Hale regretted that no anti-vaccination speaker had appeared amongst them on this occasion, not only to be discomfited, but that it might be seen what unanimity there existed in the Society in favour of vaccination, and he looked upon the present opposition to vaccination, if not positively criminal at least most mischievous, in causing and spreading an ignorant prejudice in the minds of the poor.

Dr. DUDGEON said, Dr. Hale regretted there was no antivaccinator present, but he should not have talked so confidently, for he (Dr. Dudgeon) acknowledged himself to be an antivaccinator if-and there is much virtue in an "if"—if the experiments of Dr. von Kaczkowski recorded in a late number of the British Journal of Homoeopathy should be corroborated and proved correct. Should Dr. Kaczkowski's observations prove true then vaccination, as ordinarily performed, must fall to the ground, and we should protect our patients effectually from smallpox and cure them, should they accidentally get the disease, by doses of the 6th dilution of Variolinum. The paper they had heard read that night testified to the thorough, conscientious, and intelligent manner in which the author had gone about his investigations, and was marked by those eminent qualities of patient research and unwearied diligence that were so conspicuous in Mr. Blackley's admirable work on hay fever that had wrung from our opponents of the allopathic school the most hearty expressions of commendation. But though Mr. Blackley's experiments and observations were excellent, as far as they went, they were of course insufficient to settle the various questions he had raised; much greater experience is still required. He found that Mr. Blackley's argument for the superior safety of vaccination over natural smallpox with regard to the reception by the inoculated poison of syphilis might not be altogether satisfactory to the anti-vaccinator, because, though there could be no doubt that protoplasm was conveyed into the system by the operation of vaccination, there was no evidence that a person who caught smallpox by infection took any of the smallpox patient's protoplasm (in which the syphilitic taint was said to be contained) into his system. He thought that some cases that were thought to be syphilitic infection might not in reality be such, and that the phenomena developed, though resembling syphilis, might often be of a much more innocent character. Two years ago two patients came to him from widely different parts of the country, one a girl of ten, the other a lady of forty, both of whom had been re-vaccinated some months previously, and on whom the

vaccinated spots presented the exact appearance of true Hunterian chancre. He treated them with wet lint and small doses of Mercurius vivus, and in a week or two the sores were healed, and up to this time no perceptible morbid effects had followed, except that the lady had a sort of serpiginous eruption on the forearm of the vaccinated arm, which soon went off. He concluded that these sores, though they looked syphilitic, could not have been truly syphilitic, though, of course, he might be mistaken in this. His experience of vaccination and smallpox in his own person differed from Dr. Yeldham's. He was originally vaccinated successfully in 1820, re-vaccinated unsuccessfully in 1831, had a smart attack of smallpox in 1838, tried to vaccinate himself in 1864 without effect, and was successfully vaccinated in 1871, the vaccination running a regular course and leaving two wellmarked cicatrices. He thought the method of vaccinating by the pin-head-sized blister was generally followed by bad inflammation of the arm. He preferred scratching with a lancet and inserting the matter from ivory points. Ignorant people were often much alarmed by observing the occurrence of eruptions of various kinds on their children after vaccination. But such eruptions occurred frequently after any exanthematous fever and were not brought into the system by the vaccination, but brought to the surface by the peculiar febrile disease.

Mr. ENGALL said, One of the most important things was the purity of the lymph employed in vaccination; and, for this reason, he thought the use of either the thread or the paper referred to was objectionable, as there was a risk of taking up some of the blood; that this was obviated by the use of the capillary tubes, for in these if anything but pure lymph existed, it was made evident to the sight. Unlike some of the speakers, the points had uniformly failed with him, but the use of lymph taken from the arm in the tubes (with one exception) had always succeeded. This one failure he attributed to the quantity being too small, as a repetition of the process produced good vesicles. His mode of vaccinating differed somewhat from those already mentioned. He broke off the ends of the tube and blew the lymph upon the arm, which formed a globule of lymph, into the centre of which he placed the lancet and made the scratch, taking care not to cause any blood to flow. By this means he caused no pain to the child, excluded the air from the wound, and secured the immediate absorption of the lymph. The superfluous lymph-if any-could then be taken up by the tube and be blown upon the other part where the second scratch would have to be made. He generally used two tubes, each of which he had previously supplied with the quantity necessary for one puncture. By this procedure he got a healthy vesicle, which he thought was not obtained when blistering of the cuticle was first employed, since in the latter case there would be two actions set up,-that of the blistering vesicle, and that of the vaccine virus.

Now, that of the blistering, it had been shown (if too much were used), would produce swelling of the whole arm, which pure vaccine virus alone does not produce; and, therefore, the action of the blistering is stronger than that of the vaccine virus, and must modify it accordingly. Even when this swelling is not produced there are still the two actions going on, which must modify in some degree the result; hence, he thought that the lymph from such vesicle could not represent normal vaccine lymph, and from such causes might arise those failures which were so rife. Again, the object aimed at should be the introduction of the lymph into the absorbent system in such manner that the result might be due solely to its influence. Therefore, he thought that an incision made deeper than just to indicate by the presence of a red line that the absorbents were reached was objectionable, because, as each tissue has its specific inflammation the deeper the cut the more likelihood for these several structures to be involved, and (as in the case before cited) other modifying inflammations to be set up. This might also be the case with the irritation produced by the points acting as local irritants. If these deeper structures were involved, and another action set up, this would manifest itself in a deeper cicatrix; and therefore he was of opinion that a deep-seated cicatrix did not indicate protection so well as one which indicated that the absorbents alone had been reached.

Dr. DRURY called attention to some coloured drawings of arms, showing the effects of re-vaccination; one, that of a butler, that had the appearance of rupia. In this case the vaccination apparently called into action disease that was lurking in the system. Another drawing was that of a bad arm following vaccination, the remarkable feature of which was that the lady was attacked with smallpox several weeks after, but before the arm was quite well. The arm of a young woman, said to have had smallpox when two years old, went through the stages of vaccination perfectly; this was done with vaccine four removes from the cow. Dr. Drury said that in vaccinating he always adopted the nick mode of scratching the arm with a lancet, and, if possible, rubbing in the fresh lymph off his lancet, either direct from a child or from a tube, Failing such a supply he rubbed in the dry points, and when vaccine was scarce had more than once used one point to do two places. He was aware that at the Smallpox Hospital Mr. Marson always liked to vaccinate in five places. He very much questioned if one small place took if the system was not as effectually protected, and that the real advantage of a number of places was to secure a good supply of lymph and to ensure a successful operation if possible. As regarded the size of the cicatrix he thought far too much importance was attached to it; the operation might have been perfectly successful when only a small one was to be found, while a large cicatrix might result from the arm being allowed to get rubbed