Inoculations have existed for a
very long time. Though there is no proper documentation for most of these
cases, many cultures put inoculations into practice. It is believed that the Chinese
used matter from and infection and scratched the matter into the skin of a
healthy person at least since the 10th century. India practiced even
before then since possibly 10,000 BCE.
The philosophy behind inoculations
followed the smallpox disease that spread from northeastern Africa across
India, into China and the Western world. Northeastern Africa appears to be the
cradle of the disease. From that point, Egypt dealt with the disease (as can be
seen in mummies including Ramses V). Egyptian merchants are believed to have
transferred it to India. As India was a popular trading center, it is easy to
see it’s progression along the trade routes.
Smallpox begins with a rash that
then progresses into pus-filled blisters that forever mar the skin. Smallpox
killed 1 in 3 of its victims. Those that survived the disease had cases of
blindness and disfigurement. However, many people, including the Greek
philosopher, Thucydides, soon began to notice a peculiar trend: the survivors
of the disease, deformed though they were, DID NOT BECOME SICK WITH SMALLPOX
AGAIN. This observation led people to begin inoculations in the form of
variolation. Variolation is different than modern day vaccination. It uses a
live and virulent strain of the virus (as compared to modern vaccinations which
use either dead virus or a less virulent cousin). Variolation kills 1 in 100
people (slightly better odds than 1 in 3).
Variolation was soon introduced to
Europe primarily through Lady Mary Montagu. She and her husband, the British
ambassador, traveled to the Ottoman Empire where she became interested in the
strange habits of the native folk. Every September, families would gather their
children to visit a set of old women. These women would have “nutshells” of
smallpox matter which they inserted into small scratches on the arms or legs.
In a letter, Montagu states, “The children or young patients play together all
the rest of the day, and are in perfect health to the eighth. Then the fever
begins to seize them, and they keep their beds two days, very seldom three.
They have very rarely above twenty or thirty in their faces, which never mark,
and in eight days time they are as well as before their illness.” Montagu went
on to have her own children inoculated and became a major proponent of the Inoculation
introduction in Western society.
Sources:http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/smallpox-12000-years-terror.html
https://explorable.com/who-invented-vaccination
http://www.jenniferleecarrell.com/Speckled%20Monstersmallpox8a.htm
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/montagu-smallpox.asp
http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/all
It is interesting how our expectations change over time. Having a 1 in 100 chance of being killed doesn't seem a good recommendation for a treatment. Unless, of course, you otherwise have a 1 in 3 chance. Since I am always interested in how societies face uncertainty, I wonder how those folks decided without modern medical knowledge to accept uncertain treatment and uncertain odds.
ReplyDeleteI actually just finished two AP courses in European and Art History. The mindset back then was extremely bleak and people used anything they could to avoid the disease. Satchels of herbs held over the nose were believed to keep people safe from disease. I think they were willing to try almost anything to avoid the "Speckled Monster."
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