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| THE MODES OF INOCULATION. | THE LOCAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL SYMPTOMS. | THE LOCAL AND GENERAL TREATMENT. |
|---|---|---|
| The Vaccine Fluid may be taken at any period, from the first appearance of the vesicle, till the areola begins to form, by small punetures; allowing it time to flow; or promoting the discharge by gentle pressure with the lancet.
It is to be inserted, by a superficial puncture, into the middle of the arm, between the shoulder and the elbow; or, when the arm is likely to be much used, into the inside of the leg. It may be preserved, and conveyed, on the point of a Vaccinator; that is, a bit of ivory, shaped like the tooth of a comb, and pointed like a lancet. This may be wrapped in paper; or a number of them may be inclosed in a quill, to be stopped with while wax. When they are used, a puncture is to be made with a lancet, then the point of the Vaccinator is to be held in the puncture some time; and afterwards repeatedly wiped on the part. |
On the third day, the day of inoculation being reckoned the first, a red spot commonly appears; and on the fourth or fifth a vesicle of a light pink, sometimes with a bluish tint; gradually changing colour. The margin is elevated, the centre depressed, the contents limpid. It increases till the tenth day.
About the ninth, the inflammation surrounding the base spreads rapidly, and forms a circumscribed areola; which, in a day or two, begins to fade. When this is fully formed, the vesicle declines. It turns brown in the centre; and is gradually converted into a hard smooth shining scab, of a dark mahogany colour, approaching to black; which falls off about the end of the third week, leaving a scar. Sometimes the patient is drowsy as early as the second or third day. Febrile symptoms often appear, especially on the eighth; but they are generally slight and transient. In many cases there is no constitutional indisposition, in a few there is no areola; yet the patient is perfectly secure from the future infection of the small-pox, provided the progress of the vesicle has been regular and complete. |
No preparation is necessary before the Cow-pock, no cathartic after; nor, in general, any medicine during the whole process. But if indisposition of any kind occurs, it may be treated in the same manner as if the patient were not under vaccination.
Should inflammation become extensive, it may be cheeked by the frequent application of a compress dipped in cold water; or in a solution of Cerussa Acetata. Should ulceration take place, a cool poultice may be advisable; to be continued til the sore is almost healed; when any mild adhesive plaster may be substituted. In slight cases, the plaster alone may be sufficient; but it seldom happens, that any application is necessary. |
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