562

Hints about Inoculation of the SMALL-POX.

projected perpendicularly to the horizon, and a hole being made thro' the center of the earth, that this ball, by the force of gravitation, and the velocity it acquires thereby, in its return paffes quite thro

Dec.

7 another Collection, yet at the earnest Defire of our Correfpondent, we have bere inferted it. Hints about INOCULATION. HAT inoculation of the small-pox

the earth, and afcends on the oppofite T is a difcovery of great importance

ide of the earth, precifely as far from the earth's center, as it did by its first projection, and continues thus perpetually to ofcillate. The principal difference in the perception of these two of cillatory motions of the planet and ball,, is, that in that of the ball the center of ofcillation is imagined to be at reft, in. the other the center is continually moving. forward in the circumference of a circle, of which the fun is the center,

B

multitudes of lives, which would otherwife to mankind, as a means of preferving be loft by that dreadful distemper, is, I think, proved by fufficient experience beyond all controversy. And I doubt not but in time it will come to be practised among I beg leave to obferve, that before it can all ranks of people thro' the nation. But come into general use, it must be done in a less expensive way. The charge of it, exclude a great part, nay, I may fay, the as it is now managed, must neceffarily. greatest part of mankind, from the beneht of it. The poor in general are abfolutely cut off from all share in it, except only thofe few, who can be fo happy as to be admitted into that laudable foundaCchildren of the Foundling Hospital, which tion, the Inoculating-Hofpital, and the as I know, where inoculation is performed are the only places in the kingdom, so far upon the foot of charity. It is, indeed, much to be wished, there were charities dom. This would effectually introduce for this purpofe in all parts of the kingthe practice among the common people, Dfervants who have had the fmall-pox, and in time we should be at no lofs to get

It will be thewn how a planet acquires this projectile motion, that this motion added to the centripetal motion from gravitation, is precifely equal to the cen trifugal motion from the action of light in the perihelion; therefore, that the planet cannot approach nearer to the fun, and that in this point the planet's motion in its orbit is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the fun and planet :: In like manner, that the centrifugal force from the emiflion of light added to the projectile force, is precifely equal to the centripetal force in the aphelion; therefore, that the planet cannot recede farther from the fun, and that the planet's motion in its orbit is again, in this point, perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the fun and planet. Again, for the fame reason, that the motion of the projectile, as before fuppofed, is the fwifter the nearer it is to the center of the earth, the velocity of the planet's projectile motion will be greater the nearer the planet is to the circle of its mean mo- E tion: And then the direction of the planet's mean motion in its orbit will makethe most acute or obtufe angle with the line connecting the centers of the fun and planet, or the planet will then go with the greatest velocity from its circular motion. For tho' the centripetal and centrifugal forces would be equal at the planet's mean diftance, were the planet not endowed with the power of continuing: every impreffion or action it receives, yet, from this power, the projectile force added to the centrifugal in the planet's receding. from the fun, and added to the centripe-. tal in the planet's acceding towards the fun, makes the grea eft difference between the centripetal and centrifugal actions at G the planet's mean distance from the fun.

The following we received last Month, and mentioned the Receipt of it in our last Magazine y and obo" it has fince appendia

f

which is now found fo difficult. And not
of others, many farmers and tradefmen,
enly the very poor people, but multitudes
head for their whole family, as is at pre-
cannot be at the expence of so much a
fent demanded, merely for the operation
tional charges, which muft neceffarliy
of inoculating, befides the other addi-
accrue. Thoufands of thefe, tho' they
approve of the thing, muft he deprived of
the advantage of fo ufeful a difcovery,
and run the hazard of their family having
others, tho' they can perhaps pay the
the distemper in the natural way. And
charges without hurting their affairs, yet,
thinking the prefent demand unreafona-
thofe means, which they allow to be fo
ble, are apt to neglect or defer the use of
falutary. Whereas many of both forts,
if they could have it done for what the
tion) really deferves, would very gladly
mere operation (if I may call it an opera-
lefening the danger almost beyond com- a
embrace fo favourable an opportunity of
parifon, and of getting rid of the fears of
that distemper. When I fay, what the
niere operation deferves, I mean the bare :
making the incision or scratch, and ap-
plying the lint or thread which has been
dipped in the fmall-pox matter. And.t
furoly,

1

1752.

How to make INOCULATION more general.

furely, this is the greatest trifle that ever
was called by the name of an operation in
furgery, as it is fo foon and fo easily done,
and is abfolutely void of all danger in the
performance, and hardly requires any fkill
at all; which every one may be fenfible
of, who has ever once been prefent at the
doing of it. Indeed, as to the rich, they
may pay what they pleafe, whatever their
own generofity, or the custom of their
flation requires, as they do for bleeding,
and in other inftances. But fuch extra-
ordinary pay, or rather prefents, should
not be made a rule for people in moderate
or low circumftances, in the cafe of ino
culation, any more than it is in bleeding.
It is what the thing really deferves, in B
proportion to the pay for other operations,
that we are confidering, not what has
fometimes been paid for it. And where
the operator is defired to attend and dress
the incifions all along, fuch attendance is
undoubtedly to be paid for, according to
the custom of places and perfons, agreea
bly to the old rule, that the labourer is
worthy of his hire. But then this atten-:
dance, as it is not neceffary, fo likewife is
it not cuftomary with the common people.
in other cafes. How many wounds and.
fores, much more difficult to manage than
the incifions of inoculation, do they drefs
themselves, or get fome friend or neigh
hour to drefs for them, either without any
furgeon ever seeing them at all, or elfe
with his feeing the cafe once in a while,
and giving directions how they should
proceed from time to time? This often is,
and must be the cafe, efpecially in the
country, where both poverty, and diftance:
from the furgeon, fo frequently make it
neceffary. Therefore they can very well
drefs in this cafe, if the furgeon only just
makes the incifions, furnishes them with
dreffings, and gives them directions how
to manage. Which when they have been
a little used to, they will find not only
much easier, as I faid, than many wounds
and fores they undertake, but even less
difficult than fome iffues, or the dreffing
of blifters, which, in the country at least,
falls to the fhare of nurfes or friends, and F
very rarely to the apothecary or furgeon.
Or if any thing very extraordinary fhould
occur, which will very rarely happen, the
operator might be confulted.

563

compence for his time and trouble in procuring the matter, and in giving direc tions about dreffing, and for the dreings which he furnishes? Bleeding may be fometimes a matter of nicety, and, at the beft, requires much more care and fkill, than making the incifions for ino-culation. Bleeding is, indeed, an old and familiar operation, which every body is used to, and almost every body performs; whereas inoculation is still a new. thing in many parts of the country. But even in fuch places, if a few people. fhould attempt to make a mystery of it, in order to monopohze the practice to themselves, and demand what they please for doing it, fuch a fcheme cannot last long. The mystery muft foon be unfolded, as the fecret will discover itself to all people who have common fenfe, and ufe their eyes, the very first time they fee the operation performed. These people will be fenfible, that no peculiar art is required, but that every man can do it alike, or at least that every man, who is to be trusted to bleed, may very safely be trufted to make the incifions for inoculation, if he has but once feen them done. Thus the affair must soon come into many hands, at least of every apothecary, fince they all bleed in the country, as well as of every furgeon. When it becomes thus general, the pay will, without doubt, be Dlowered, as the price of man-midwifery muft be, when that comes to be practised by every country furgeon and apothecary in England. Or if all the furgeons and apothecaries in the nation can be fuppofed to demand as much for inoculation as is now paid, the practice must descend yet lower, and come into the hands, not only of barbers, and every one that bleeds, but also of many who dare not think of opening a vein; of all the furgeoneffes of every village and country parish, of nurfes, and even of every notable housewife, who has the courage to take hold of a lancet, or make a feratch with a needle, or any other way make the fmallest fuperficial wound in the skin. Nor will thefe people be in danger of doing harm, or making any material blunder in the operation itself. And the whole undertaking will be unspeakably lefs to nurses, than what they already freely engage in ; I mean, the management of the fmall-pox in the natural way, upon their own fkill. And as they will fee at least ten times the fuccefs from inoculation, to what they meet with in the natural way, they will be emboldened to proceed in their new practice, and endeavour to engrofs it all to themselves. And I may venture to foretel, that they

The operator then being releafed from the trouble of attendance, should not be paid for that, but only for what he really does, and in proportion to his customary G pay in other cafes. And as the operation is unfpeakably less than bleeding, why fhould he demand any more for it, than he would expect from the fame perfon for bleeding, together with a proper res

will

564 The SOLAR SYSTEM according to Copernicus

B

Dec.

shew a proper regard to the general good, if they defire to keep a confiderable thare of the practice, and prevent its falling into the loweft hands, especially in the country: Let them perform it out of charity to the poor, on moderate terms to others in proportion to their circumstances, and leave it to the rich to reward them as generously as they please.

The SOLAR SYSTEM according to
COPERNICUS.

(See the PLATE neatly engraved.)

HE earth we live upon, has been generally thought to be the center of the univerfe, and to be fixed and immoveable. Pythagoras indeed among the ancients, taught the contrary; but his opinion, for want of being thoroughly canvaffed by learned and ingenious men, grew into diírepute, and was for many centuries totally neglected. About 250 years ago, it was again revived by CoperC nicus, a native of Thorn in Pruffia; and has fince, by our great Newton, been eftablished on fuch clear and folid principles, that it is now univerfally received.

will prevail with a large proportion of
the common ignorant people, already
prejudiced in their favour in this diftem-
per, to commit themfelves to their care.
But tho' I faid, that even fuch practi-
tioners as these will not run any hazard
by the mere operation, yet I think it is
to be apprehended, that very confiderable A
mifchief may arife from their inability to
judge of the fitnefs of fubje&ts for the
operation; as alfo to difcern the difference
of conftitutions, which will require the
directions for preparation to be varied ac-
cordingly. For those rules, which would
be right for one age and conftitution,
would be wrong and hurtful for another.
Thus in fome perfons, it is highly proper
to bleed before inoculation; in others, it
is much more proper and fafe to omit it.
The directions for diet alfo fhould be
adapted to the conftitution, as that which
would be right for one, would be impro-
per and injurious to another. In like
manner, fould the method of purging
before inoculation be regulated, as no one
method will be fuitable to all: Only in ge-
neral it is agreed, that the purging (hould
be moderate, and with a gentle kind of
medicines. As to any other medicines,
betides purging ones, by way of prepara-
tion, they are not neceffary, except, per-
haps, in fome very few particular pati-
ents; and are not ufed in common by
practitioners of the greatest note. And D
indeed, I may obferve by the way, as a
great happinefs belonging to inoculation,
that medicines are very rarely wanted du-
ring the courfe of the difeafe, when it is
procured in this way, and therefore are
but feldom prefcribed. Extraordinary cafes
must be treated accordingly, And those
few, who happen to have the diftemper
in a bad way from inoculation, will need
Tome of the fame affittance from medi.
cines, tho' commonly not near fo much
as thofe who have it in the natural way:
But in general, proper purging, in the
time of preparation, and at the end of
the diftemper, is al that is required from
medicines.

E

As then all the skill, that is necessary F concerning inoculation, confifts in fuch a knowledge, as will enable to judge rightly of the conftitution, and the proper method of preparation for every particular patient: If this province is committed to the care of competent judges, it is of little importance who performs the operation.

Let every patient therefore, refer this judgment to fuch as he has the best opinion of, and whom he would truft with the care of his health in other cafes.

And if the prefent operators would

G

According to this fyftem, the fun is placed in the center, from whence it never moves; tho' from fome obfervations made on its fpots, it is found to turn round on its own axis, from west to east, in about twenty five days. Round about kim, at unequal distances, fix opaque ípherical bodies continually revolve; and the circular lines in which they revolve are called their orbits. Thefe are called the primary planets. That which is nearest to the fun, is called Mercury; the next Venus; then our Earth; the next beyond is Mars; after him Jupiter, and the most diftant of all is Saturn. Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, are called fuperior planets, becaufe their circuits are beyond the earth's orbit, or at a greater diftance from the fun. Mercury and Venus are called inferior planets, because their circuits are within that orbit, or nearer to the fun.

Befides thefe, there are discovered in this fyitem, ten other bodies, which move about fome of these primary planets, in the fame manner as they move round the fun. These are called fecondary planets.. The most confpicuous of them is the Moon, which moves round our earth; four move in like manner round Jupiter, and five round Saturn.

The fame planet is not always equally diftant from the fun; becaufe each of the primary planets move round the fun in a line, which forms an ellipfis or oval; but if the distance of the earth from the fon be divided into ten equal parts, the mean: diftance

London Mag: 1762.

The SOLAR

SYSTEM

with the Orbits of 5 Remarkable COMETS.

The Orbits of the Planets are drawn according to their mean distance from the Sun; and the Planets themselves in the Proportions they bear to each other.

!