Because vaccines are fairly common today,, it is hard to imagine the terrible risk a colonial person took when undergoing inoculation. It isn’t known whether Cotton Mather ordered his son to undergo “ye operation,” or simply encouraged him to do so, leaving Sammy to make his own decision. It is known that Dr. Boylston, the local doctor who actually administered the inoculations, included his own slave and the slave’s toddler son. The name of the slave has not come down through history, but we do know his child was called Jackie. What dangers did these three people face from the inoculating material itself, or from the procedure and its possible side effects? What may have been their thoughts as they took part?