The Analysis of Inoculation: Comprizing the History, Theory and Practice of it

James Kirkpatrick

ISBN 10: 046191977X / ISBN 13: 9780461919776

Published by HardPress, 2021

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 26404538738

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Analysis of Inoculation: Comprizing the History, Theory and Practice of it
• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 046191977X
• ISBN 13: 9780461919776
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The Analysis Of Inoculation: Comprizing The History, Theory And Practice Of It by James Kirkpatrick. This 18th?century medical treatise argues for inoculation (variolation) against smallpox as a sound public health measure grounded in royal sponsorship, professional governance, and religious-moral justification. It blends medical guidance with public health policy, aiming to inform both practitioners and educated lay readers. The work surveys competing theories of contagion, distinguishing external variolous contagion from the body's internal “fuel” or predisposition, while defending the inoculation method against empirical uncertainties and feared miscarriages. It seeks to render specialized language accessible through glossary notes and plain explanations. An emphasis on empirical evidence and cautious experimentation anchors discussions of risks, including potential adverse outcomes in children and repeated infections. Structured around prologues and prefatory material, it proceeds from sections on the external and internal causes of smallpox toward mechanisms of contagion, and outlines organizational, legal, and religious justifications for a regulated inoculation system across cities and colonies. The text situates London and continental Europe in the mid?18th century within a broader Atlantic context, citing authorities, case histories, and appendices that enrich the debate while advocating prudence, documentation, and professional collaboration to maximize public benefit.