Summary Of Montagu Letters To Chiswell

18th century, medicine was no longer rooted within the supernatural. While humorists did still practice, there were many other forms of treating and curing medicine. English aristocrat Lady Wortley Montagu described the vaccinators of the Ottoman Empire to her close friend Sarah Chiswell. Montagu came across the variolation process while visiting Istanbul, and was so impressed at the results, that she attempted to introduce the practice in England. In her letters to Chiswell, Lady Montagu describes how “ set of old Women, who make it their business to perform the Operation.” These women would begin engrafting as soon as summer ended and fall began. She describes this as after the “great heat” ended which showed how influenced by hippocrates she was. Analyzing symptoms of diseases based upon weather was one of his staples, and she took influence. Montagu described how these women would make a few scratches on the skin and implant some pus from the small pox, This process of engrafting infected was the less virulent form of smallpox and variola minor. The pus used for this procedure was taken from the survivors of smallpox who had most likely been stricken with the variola minor as those stricken with the major would not have made it.
“The children or young patients play together all the rest of the day and are in perfect health till the 8th.” After these children fell ill, they returned to normal, and this is what made the Lady Montagu impressed with the process. The Lady stayed and noticed no one had “died” of the pox because “thousands” underwent `` this procedure. She trusted it so much that she went and her son variolated “on the 18th of March”. He survived, but an account of his variolation revealed how rusted needles may have been used as it caused him to be in so much pain she “pitied his cries”. Yet when she used her own tools on the other arm he seemed