The National Intelligencer And Washington Advertiser

Portsmouth, August 18, 1801.

AN EXPERIMENT

To prove the Kine Pox an effectual and sure preventive of the Small Pox, either by inoculation, or casual infection, the following experiment was instituted in this town.

On the 3d and 4th inst. Mr. Silas Holman, merchant, on the Pier, Henry and Eliphalet Ladd, sons of col. Ladd, and John Gilman, son of J. W. Gilman, Esq. of Exeter, were inoculated for the Small Pox, at hospital island in this harbour, after having had the Kine-Pox. The infection was taken directly from a man labouring under the Small Pox the natural way, very severely. The more effectually to prove the preventive powers of the kine-pox, these young gentlemen were repeatedly inoculated, and kept constantly in the house with the sick man and a young girl who had the small-pox by inoculation, besides spending much time in their rooms or ten days, and greatly to their honor, exposed themselves as much as possible to the various effluvia, being anxious to make the experiment satisfactory.

On the second and third days after inoculation, the punctured points appeared inflamed and shewed signs of infection.-- We did not hesitate to say the small-pox virus had taken effect; and if the young gentlemen had not previously had the kine-pox, we should have pronounced their inoculation with the small-pox effectual; so exactly did this appearance correspond with that of the commonly inoculated small pox.

This was an important moment, we had our fears, which a few days dissipated, and gladdened our hearts with joy-for by the seventh day the inflammation had abated, and a scab formed over the puncture, which appeared so totally different from the effectually inoculated small-pox, that we were confident of a happy escape from this terrible disease.

Although the arms had at one time the appearance of effectual inoculation, yet the patients were not attacked by any of the well known symptoms of the small-pox, but remained perfectly free of complaint.

We were not contented with all this proof, but determined to keep them at the hospital, in the midst of the various effluvia, so long as to render it impossible for them to escape the small-pox, if it could take any effect upon them either by casual infection or inoculation. For this purpose we kept them in the hospital till the tenth day, without their having any symptoms or appearances of the small-pox, and even now, the fifteenth day after inoculation, they remain free of complaint.

This we hold ample proof that the Kine Pox is a sure and effectual preventive of the Small Pox, either by inoculation or casual infection,

WM. CUTTER,

L. SPALDING.