Overview

Simply, and with great humanity, The Eradication of Smallpox tells the story of smallpox - it's origins, the horror of the disease, and the millions of people killed or disfigured by it. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it is estimated that one out of every ten people died from the disease; some say one out of every seven. Smallpox attacked very young children in particular. The story progresses with the practice of variolation, the life of Edward Jenner who first proposed 'vaccination' with cow pox vaccine (little James Phipps was the first person ever vaccinated in this way), the years of debate about the efficacy of this novel method, and the later worldwide initiatives to rid the planet of this horrific disease. In 1979, the story culminates in the only total eradication of an infectious disease that mankind has ever accomplished. This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of this momentous achievement.In the intervening years, debate has raged about what we should do with the remaining smallpox viral stocks. Do we destroy them, so they can't fall into the hands of bioterrorists, or do we maintain them, in case they may be of use in some unexpected way, for therapeutic purposes? These questions are thoroughly discussed in the book.

Full Product Details

Author:   Herve Bazin
Publisher:   Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc
Imprint:   Academic Press Inc
ISBN:  

9781483299846

ISBN 10:   1483299848
Pages:   246
Publication Date:   28 December 1999
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements.Foreword.Chronology: The life of Edward JennerIntroduction.For those who have forgotten or never knew what smallpox was like:On the long struggle of man, before Jenner, to fight smallpox.The life and work of Jenner:The young Jenner (1749-1772).Jenner, naturalist and country surgeon.The myth becomes reality (1795-1798).Jenner's hard-won victory in England, his own country.The particular case of Napoleonic France.Vaccination spreads across Europe and the United States and then throughout the rest of the world.Honours and resentment for Jenner (1801-1823).The perfect ending to the story: the eradication of smallpox:Post-Jennerian vaccination (1823-1979).Smallpox vaccination: its value and its limitations.The anti-vaccination movements (1798-1979).The eradication of smallpox: Jenner's posthumous triumph.Jenner, vaccination and ethics (1796 to the present day).What should be done about the smallpox virus?Conclusion.Some comments on current immunity to smallpox.Glossary.References.Index.

Reviews

copious illustrations are of considerable interest. ...Historians of medicine and public health may want to add it to their collections. -Warren Winkelstein, Jr. for BULL. HIST. MED.(2002

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