The History of Inoculations
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Early History
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Before 200 B.C. people began to come to the realization that certain diseases never reinfected the same person after a full recovery. As a result of this observation, the first inoculations began around this time in China, Africa and India, but the practice was not widespread in Europe until the 18th century.
Lady Mary Wortley Montague
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Smallpox was the first disease that people began to intentionally infect themselves with. Lady Mary Wortley Montague, an English Aristocrat and a smallpox survivor, was aware of the inoculations being done in other parts of the world. She became an advocate for the inoculations even though English physicians at the time were not. In 1717 she used her position and power and ordered the embassy doctor to inoculate her children. The children were successfully immunized against smallpox and the practice became more widespread after their procedures.
Edward Jenner
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In 1796, physician Edward Jenner scratched the skin of an 8-year-old boy and infected the child with a cowpox virus, a less severe infection of smallpox. As a result, the boy did not contract smallpox. While not the first to vaccinate, Jenner's inoculations were the first scientific attempts made to control disease. Because of Jenner's efforts, by the early 1800s vaccination had reached most European countries.
Hypodermic Syringe
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In 1885, scientist Louis Pasteur injected a boy infected with rabies with the newly available hypodermic syringe. It was effective, and immunizations took another giant leap forward. As of August 2010, the syringe is still the most commonly used administrating method.
Safety Considerations
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With a more effective means of administrating the vaccine, soldiers during World War I were vaccinated for diphtheria. During World War II they were vaccinated for typhus and tetanus. Many soldiers were also vaccinated for yellow fever, and it was later discovered that the vaccination caused some of them to contract Hepatitis B. This development led to more safety precautions and clinical trials before a vaccine was released to the public.
Jonas Salk and Modern Day Research
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The largest medical test in history involved Jonas Salk's dead polio virus being injected into hundreds of thousands of children. This 1954 test proved effective and was a major step in the eradication of the polio virus.
In 2010, there are vaccinations for rubella, hepatitis, rabies, rotovirus and more. The vaccines are administrated by syringe, orally and by inhalation. Once-fatal diseases have been completely eradicated and numerous other health problems have been avoided. However, research by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development indicates that the MMR vaccination may cause autism in susceptible children.
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