Virus and Response 1856 Pt III- "Our community has, for the the last two weeks, been in the highest degree of excitement"

     From the Richmond Enquirer of March 4, 1856




                    BARHAMSVILLE NEW KENT  COUNTY, Va.,
                              February 27th, 1856-

 To the Vaccine Agent of the State of Virginia:

Sir: Our community has, for the the last two weeks, been in the  highest degree of excitement, on account of the sudden and unexpected introduction of small pox virus procured from you. Some four or five weeks since, a young man in the vicinity of this place, was attacked with that most loathsome and alarming disease, small pox, of which he died. From twelve to fourteen days afterwards, the whole family of which he was an inmate, consisting of nine persons and some four or five others who visited him during his illness, fell sick of the same disease. A hospital was immediately opened for the treatment of the cases, and for the better protection of the community. I was summoned as consulting physician to that Hospital and, responded to the call. Before, however, entering upon my official duties or to any way exposing myself to various contagion, I procured a small portion of what was denominated vaccine virus from you. It was endorsed genuine vaccine matter. I immediately inserted it into the arms of three persons, one of whom had been previously vaccinated. Nine days from that time, the vaccine disease, as was supposed, commenced in the two unprotected individuals, though with much more violence, and persistence than is usual. I was informed by the parent and mistress of the patients that the disease was running unusually high, characterized by violent pains in the head and  trunk, sick stomach and intensely high fever. I flattered myself without seeing the patients, or having any communication whatever with them. from the description given, that it might be the vaccine disease. Three days from the time these premonitory symptoms commenced, an eruption appeared upon the face, neck and forearms of both patients. I Was called at once to visit them, and to my great surprise and astonishment found it to be genuine inoculation, and so pronounced it. I proclaimed it, wherever I went, that the community might be protected against the insertion of any more virus obtained from you. Mr. Agent, you little know the great injury you nave indicted upon this people, to say nothing of the disease consequent upon the innoculation(sic), a death blow has been given to the business operations of our community. Would you think, sir, that there have been, and are now, in our midst some eighty persons, suffering under small pox, taken alone by innoculation from your small pox virus?-- Sir, there can be no doubt about it. I have seen, and am treating some forty cases of inoculation myself in all these cases, there was not the slightest communication between them and those who contracted the disease, in the natural way. You may suppose that innocolation modifies the disease to some extent, and I grant it does when patients are prepared for it. But there has been no preparation in these cases, and I am now treating cases whose recovery is exceeding doubtful. They have assumed the most confluent form incident to the disease. Are you not now satisfied of the genuineness of your innoculations? If not, If not I respectfully invite you to visit our county and satisfy yourself. I will see to it that you shall not be harmed, although the indignation of the people is superlatively high. You have placed yourself, as Vaccine Agent of the State of Virginia, in a position to be imposed upon by every picayune cormorant of Northern cities. It is said when you are pressed for vaccine virus, you procure it in Philadelphia, it so you are liable to be imposed upon at all times for the most obvious reasons. I would, therefore, most respectfully suggest to you the propriety of resigning your office at once, I and to the Legislature of the State, the greater propriety of abolishing the agency altogether. I think the community would be better protected by such a course.

                      Respectfully, W.R. RICHARDSON, M.D.



The name is wrong. The letter is from William Pryor Richardson, a 39 year old doctor living with his family near Tabernacle Church. The doctor in 1852 had had a report of his use of ergot for convulsion published in The Stethoscope and Virginia Medical Gazette of Richmond.

The Vaccine Agent to to which this letter is addressed was Dr. Arthur Edward Peticolas, Assistant Professor of Anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia.

Next, Dr. Peticolas responds.