Page "Cotton Mather" Paragraph 38

While Cotton Mather was experimenting with the procedure, prominent Puritan pastors Benjamin Colman and William Cooper expressed public and theological support for them.

The practice of smallpox inoculation was eventually accepted by the general population due to first-hand experiences and personal relationships.

Although many were initially wary of the concept, it was because people were able to witness the procedure's consistently positive results, within their own community of ordinary citizens, that it became widely utilized and supported.

One important change in the practice after 1721 was regulated quarantine of inoculees.