In the late 18th century, smallpox was one of the most feared diseases in the world, killing roughly one in three of those it (1) and leaving many survivors permanently scarred or blind. A country doctor in Gloucestershire had a theory about how to stop it, based on something they had noticed among the local farming (2).
Born in Berkeley in 1749, this individual had trained as a physician and settled into rural (3), but their curiosity about the natural world extended well beyond their patients. They observed that milkmaids who had contracted cowpox, a mild disease caught from cattle, seemed to be (4) from smallpox. In 1796 they tested the idea by taking material from a cowpox sore on a milkmaid's hand and introducing it into a small cut on the arm of an eight year old boy. Six weeks later they exposed the boy to smallpox. He did not become (5).
The procedure they developed, which they called (6) after the Latin word for cow, was met with ridicule and resistance from much of the medical (7). Satirical cartoons showed patients sprouting cattle (8) after receiving the treatment. Despite the mockery, the evidence was overwhelming, and vaccination was gradually adopted across Europe and beyond.
Smallpox was officially declared (9) in 1980, making it the only human disease ever to have been wiped out entirely. The principle that one individual established in a Gloucestershire village, using a dairy worker and a child, is the (10) upon which all modern vaccination rests.
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In the late 18th century, smallpox was one of the most feared diseases in the world, killing roughly one in three of those it (1) infected and leaving many survivors permanently scarred or blind. A country doctor in Gloucestershire had a theory about how to stop it, based on something they had noticed among the local farming (2) community.
Born in Berkeley in 1749, this individual had trained as a physician and settled into rural (3) practice, but their curiosity about the natural world extended well beyond their patients. They observed that milkmaids who had contracted cowpox, a mild disease caught from cattle, seemed to be (4) protected from smallpox. In 1796 they tested the idea by taking material from a cowpox sore on a milkmaid's hand and introducing it into a small cut on the arm of an eight year old boy. Six weeks later they exposed the boy to smallpox. He did not become (5) ill.
The procedure they developed, which they called (6) vaccination after the Latin word for cow, was met with ridicule and resistance from much of the medical (7) establishment. Satirical cartoons showed patients sprouting cattle (8) horns after receiving the treatment. Despite the mockery, the evidence was overwhelming, and vaccination was gradually adopted across Europe and beyond.
Smallpox was officially declared (9) eradicated in 1980, making it the only human disease ever to have been wiped out entirely. The principle that one individual established in a Gloucestershire village, using a dairy worker and a child, is the (10) foundation upon which all modern vaccination rests.
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This individual tested their theory on an eight year old child. Do you think the ethical standards for medical experimentation today are strict enough?
Their discovery was initially met with ridicule and satirical cartoons. Do you think public resistance to new medical ideas is more or less common today than it was in the 18th century?
Smallpox is the only human disease ever to have been completely eradicated. Do you think other diseases could be wiped out entirely, and what would it take?
The idea came from observing milkmaids in the local farming community. Do you think important scientific discoveries are often hidden in plain sight?
Vaccination remains one of the most debated topics in public health today. Do you think governments should make vaccination compulsory, or should it always be a personal choice?
