Pierce Dod
Encyclopedia
Pierce Dod was a British
physician
and opponent of smallpox
inoculation
. He graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford in 1701, received his MA
in 1705, MD in 1714 and was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
in 1720. He was made a physician to St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1725 until his death, and he joined the Royal Society
in 1730.
His entry into the smallpox controversy occurred in 1746. He wrote Several cases in physick, and one in particular, giving an account of a person who was inoculated for the small-pox. . . and yet had it again. The pamphlet discussed nine cases that were to prove that inoculation was not effective. However, only one of the clinical cases was actually an indictment of the smallpox inoculation practice, and that was a child who was inoculated at the age of three and then developed smallpox at five. This work was countered by doctors J. Kirkpatrick, W. Barrowby, and I. Schomberg in A letter to the real and genuine Pierce Dod, MD, exposing the low absurdity of a late spurious pamphlet falsely ascrib'd to that learned physician: with a full answer to the mistaken case of a natural small-pox, after taking it by inoculation, by Dod Pierce, MS. The answering pamphlet was entirely satirical—pretending that the original must have been a piracy, since the real Pierce Dod would never have made such a mistake as to write about a case that he had not personally witnessed and would have understood that some persons get smallpox twice. (Dod had had the case of second infection reported in a letter to him.) They argued that only someone afraid of losing money from his clinical practice would oppose inoculations that prevented disease.
The satire
caused Dod a great deal of professional damage, both to his reputation and his practice. He died on August 6, 1754.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and opponent of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
inoculation
Inoculation
Inoculation is the placement of something that will grow or reproduce, and is most commonly used in respect of the introduction of a serum, vaccine, or antigenic substance into the body of a human or animal, especially to produce or boost immunity to a specific disease...
. He graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford in 1701, received his MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1705, MD in 1714 and was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1720. He was made a physician to St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1725 until his death, and he joined the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1730.
His entry into the smallpox controversy occurred in 1746. He wrote Several cases in physick, and one in particular, giving an account of a person who was inoculated for the small-pox. . . and yet had it again. The pamphlet discussed nine cases that were to prove that inoculation was not effective. However, only one of the clinical cases was actually an indictment of the smallpox inoculation practice, and that was a child who was inoculated at the age of three and then developed smallpox at five. This work was countered by doctors J. Kirkpatrick, W. Barrowby, and I. Schomberg in A letter to the real and genuine Pierce Dod, MD, exposing the low absurdity of a late spurious pamphlet falsely ascrib'd to that learned physician: with a full answer to the mistaken case of a natural small-pox, after taking it by inoculation, by Dod Pierce, MS. The answering pamphlet was entirely satirical—pretending that the original must have been a piracy, since the real Pierce Dod would never have made such a mistake as to write about a case that he had not personally witnessed and would have understood that some persons get smallpox twice. (Dod had had the case of second infection reported in a letter to him.) They argued that only someone afraid of losing money from his clinical practice would oppose inoculations that prevented disease.
The satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
caused Dod a great deal of professional damage, both to his reputation and his practice. He died on August 6, 1754.