NATIONAL VACCINE INSTITUTION SUBSCRIPTION RECEIPT.

Baltimore, 1819. Very good. Partially printed subscription form (appoximately 2 1/4" x 5 3/4"), signed by James Smith and his brother, G. B. Smith, acknowledging a $5 subscription to the National Vaccine Institution, dated May 1, 1819. Dr. James Smith of Baltimore was one of the most prominent early American advocates for using vaccines to combat smallpox. In 1813, he was appointed the national vaccine agent by Congress, a position that came without a salary or budget. As an alternative, Smith formed his own foundation and sought private financing. As he received subscriptions, he issued receipts which stated that he proposed to establish an institution "in the City of Washington, to preserve and distribute the Genuine Vaccine Matter, free of any expense, for the use of the Citizens of the United States. " A rare glimpse of how public health initiatives were funded by private sources in the early republic. Some spots and crease marks but fully intact.