[An unpublished letter by Ignacio María Ruiz de Luzuriaga (1763-1822) on the spread of vaccination in Spain (1801)]

With this document we provide an initial study of the introduction of vaccination against smallpox in Spain. Despite the great number of studies on the topic, there is need for complementary research to examine in detail how, when, and with what means vaccination was introduced in and spread throughout the country. Doctor Ignacio María Ruiz Luzuriaga (1763-1822), a leading character in this process, was an ardent proponent of vaccination, and vaccinator to the court. Although he published nothing on the topic, he left behind several manuscripts, including reports and letters, that are held at the National Academy of Medicine in Madrid. We present one such letter, dated approximately in December, 1801, in which the writer gives an overview of the spread of vaccination and its proponents. Despite the inflated role Luzuriaga claims for himself, the text offers new information, and in particular, raises a number of questions (such as that regarding professional competition, the lack of a central vaccination committee, the role of enlightened bureaucrats, and communications with France during this period) which have yet to be examined in depth by Spanish medical historians.