Sowerby Catalogue Volume I : page 432

Jefferson replied on July 15: “ Th: Jefferson presents his respectful salutations to Doct ^r. Coxe, and his thanks for the communication of the volume on vaccination. he has deposited it in the Secretary of State’s office as desired, and doubts not it will contribute much to the public satisfaction as to this salutary discovery, and to their information as to the manner of treating it . . . ”

On July 30 Coxe sent the copy “on superior paper”: “I take the liberty of forwarding to you a Copy of my treatise on Vaccination, which, with many thanks for your very polite attention to my repeated requests, I beg your acceptance of . . .”

There are several references to Jefferson in the text. The folded tables contain statistics referring to cases of vaccinated subjects, some of which were contributed by Jefferson.

On pages 120 to 122 is quoted in full a “highly satisfactory” letter from Jefferson to Dr. Coxe.

Dr. Coxe wrote to Jefferson on April 23, 1802, to ask permission to publish this letter. He thanked Jefferson for the portion of vaccine he had sent him through Dr. Vaughan, announced his intention of writing this treatise, and requested his “ permission to allow me to introduce in my treatise, the valuable letter which accompanied this valuable present.”

Jefferson answered on April 30: “ I have duly recieved your favor of the 23 ^d. and am happy to learn that you mean to favor the public with an account of the vaccine inoculation from your own experience . . . m ( ^~ r) Vaughan had asked me to permit my letter to him to be published. my objection to it was that I am not a medical man, that it would be exhibiting myself before the public in a science where I might be exposed to just criticism, and that the observations of the medical gentlemen themselves would soon furnish what was better. if however the letter can be useful as a matter of testimony, or can attract the notice or confidence of those to whom my political course may have happened to make me known, and thereby engage their belief in a discovery of so much value to themselves and mankind in general, I shall not oppose it’s being put to that use . . . ”

Jefferson’s copy of this book is now in a private library.

John Redman Coxe, 1773-1864, physician, practised in Philadelphia. He was one of the early supporters of vaccination. This book is dedicted [ sic -- Ed. ] to Edward Jenner (from Philadelphia June 1st, 1802) after whom he named one of his sons. Coxe’s medical library was one of the finest in the United States. It was sold at auction after his death, and many of the books are now in the Library of Congress.

[953]

Evidence at large on Jenner’s discovery of vaccine inoculñ. 4 ^to.

1815 Catalogue, page 40. no. 94, as above, with the reading inoculation.

JENNER, George C.

The Evidence at Large, as laid before the Committee of the House of Commons, respecting Dr. Jenner’s Discovery of Vaccine Inoculation; together with the Debate which followed; and some Observations on the contravening Evidence, &c. By the Rev. G. C. Jenner . . . London: [Printed by S. Gosnell] Published by J. Murray and W. Dwyer, 1805.

RM786 .J55

8vo. 122 leaves, the last with the errata, printer’s imprint on the penultimate leaf.

Surgeon General’s Library Catalogue I, vii, 237.

Jefferson’s copy was a presentation from the author. On May 14, 1806, Jefferson wrote to “the rev ^d. Doct ^r. G. C. Jenner”: “ I have recieved the copy of the Evidence at large respecting the discovery of the Vaccine inoculation, which you have been pleased to send me, & for which I return you my thanks. having been among the early converts, in this part of the globe, to it’s efficacy, I took an early part in recommending it to my countrymen. I avail myself of this occasion of rendering you my portion of the tribute of gratitude due to you from the whole human family. Medecine has never before produced any single improvement of such utility. Harvey’s dis- ”