Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Spence, John

SPENCE, John, physician, b. in Scotland in 1766; d. in Dumfries, Va., 18 May, 1829. He was educated in the University of Edinburgh, but, owing to impaired health, was not graduated. In 1788 he came to this country, settling in Dumfries, Va., as a private tutor, and, having regained his health, entered upon the practice of medicine in 1791. He was active in introducing vaccination into the United States, and acquired distinction in his profession. The University of Pennsylvania gave him the degree of M. D. in 1828. His correspondence with Dr. Benjamin Rush in 1806 was published in the “Medical Museum of Philadelphia.” He also contributed to the “Medical Repository” and the “American Journal of the Medical Sciences,” and left several manuscripts on medical subjects.