The Untold Story of the First Vaccine

Summary

The history of vaccines is often simplified, with Edward Jenner credited as the first to discover vaccination. However, the real story is far more complex. While Jenner contributed by developing a safer method for vaccination, the concept of variolation (using smallpox pus to create immunity) existed long before his time. Various cultures, including those in Africa, China, and India, practiced variolation for centuries. The story also highlights the often-overlooked contributions of people such as Onesimus, an enslaved man who shared knowledge that helped combat smallpox in colonial America. The true origins of vaccination are a collective achievement, not the work of a single individual.

Takeaways

• 😀 Vaccines save between 2 and 3 million lives annually, highlighting their life-saving impact.
• 😀 The common story of Edward Jenner's role in creating the first vaccine is oversimplified and inaccurate.
• 😀 Jenner's milkmaid story is mostly propaganda, crafted by his friend to help sell vaccination to the public.
• 😀 Variolation, the practice of using smallpox material to immunize people, existed long before Jenner's time, dating back to around 200 B.C.E.
• 😀 People in Africa, China, and India independently developed variolation techniques hundreds of years before Jenner.
• 😀 Jenner's contribution was important, but the concept of vaccination had already been practiced globally.
• 😀 Variolation was common in the Ottoman Empire and spread to Europe after Lady Worley Montague observed it in Turkey in 1717.
• 😀 Cotton Mather played a crucial role in introducing variolation in colonial Boston, despite the public's resistance to foreign practices.
• 😀 The first clinical trial in America involved variolating 300 people during a smallpox outbreak in 1721, demonstrating its effectiveness.
• 😀 Despite his involvement in the Salem witch trials, Mather's contributions to American medicine are often overshadowed by those of his enslaved informants, like Onesimus, who shared the variolation knowledge.

Q & A

What role did vaccines play in saving lives, according to the script?

Vaccines save between 2 and 3 million lives every year, making them one of the most life-saving medical advancements in history.

Who is often credited with the concept of vaccination, and why is that considered inaccurate?

Edward Jenner is often credited with the concept of vaccination, but this is inaccurate because the idea had existed long before Jenner's time. The full history involves contributions from many individuals and cultures.

What is the common narrative about the first vaccine, and why is it misleading?

The common narrative suggests that in 1796, Edward Jenner discovered that milkmaids who had cowpox were immune to smallpox, leading to the development of the first vaccine. This is misleading because people were already aware of the connection between cowpox and smallpox before Jenner, and Jenner’s biographer created the milkmaid story to help boost the vaccine’s credibility.

How was smallpox viewed and how did it spread, according to the script?

Smallpox was a devastating disease that emerged around 10,000 B.C.E. in northeast Africa and spread globally as civilizations grew. It killed around 30% of those infected and left many survivors blind or disfigured.

What is variolation, and how was it used before Jenner’s vaccine?

Variolation is the practice of using smallpox material, like pus or scabs, to inoculate healthy people to protect them from smallpox. It had been practiced in Africa, China, and India for centuries before Jenner's time.

What were the main methods of variolation practiced in China and India?

In China, people used to grind smallpox scabs and blow them into healthy people's noses. In 18th century India, they would puncture the skin with a needle dipped in smallpox material.

How did variolation spread to Europe, and who was a key figure in introducing it to Britain?

Variolation spread to Europe in the 18th century, particularly after Lady Worley Montague observed it in Turkey and wrote about it to a friend. She and the Princess of Wales arranged for variolation to be tested in Britain.

Who was Cotton Mather, and what role did he play in the use of variolation in America?

Cotton Mather was a prominent Puritan minister in colonial Boston. He learned about variolation from Onesimus, an enslaved African man, and helped implement it during the 1721 smallpox outbreak in Boston, leading to a significant reduction in fatalities.

What was the outcome of the variolation experiment in Boston in 1721?

In the 1721 smallpox outbreak in Boston, the variolated group had a significantly lower mortality rate (around 2%) compared to the general population, where the fatality rate was around 15%. This was one of the first clinical trials in medical history.

How did Edward Jenner contribute to the development of vaccination, and what term did he coin?

Edward Jenner contributed by developing a safer method of vaccination using cowpox to protect against smallpox. He also coined the term 'vaccine' based on the Latin word 'vacca,' meaning cow.

What is the broader lesson about the history of scientific discoveries, as highlighted in the script?

The history of scientific discoveries is often more complex and collaborative than commonly presented. Many breakthroughs involve contributions from various people over time, and the history tends to be shaped by those in power, often overlooking the contributions of marginalized groups.