- Oct 16, 2015
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On this day in 1979, the smallpox virus was declared as eradicated.
It was such a virulent and endemic disease that in the 18th century Europe alone, it is speculated to have killed on average 400,000 adults and children a year. Even in Britain, it wasn't gone until the 1930s.
Even though innoculation of the disease was known in various forms throughout the world, but these were not without significant risk, it was only until 1796 that British physician Edward Jenner, with the story going that seeing how women working with cattle and contracted cowpox were not susceptible to catching smallpox divised the use of vaccinating people using the lesser form of pox. While it does have a hint of truth, with many physicians and scientists on the European continent and the British Isles seeing and testing the idea, it was Edward Jenner who developed the first full blown vaccine to smallpox.
In the last 100 years of its existence, smallpox had killed 500 million people worldwide. And now, it's gone.
Just thought to share, since it's a heck of a thing to learn about.
It was such a virulent and endemic disease that in the 18th century Europe alone, it is speculated to have killed on average 400,000 adults and children a year. Even in Britain, it wasn't gone until the 1930s.
Even though innoculation of the disease was known in various forms throughout the world, but these were not without significant risk, it was only until 1796 that British physician Edward Jenner, with the story going that seeing how women working with cattle and contracted cowpox were not susceptible to catching smallpox divised the use of vaccinating people using the lesser form of pox. While it does have a hint of truth, with many physicians and scientists on the European continent and the British Isles seeing and testing the idea, it was Edward Jenner who developed the first full blown vaccine to smallpox.
In the last 100 years of its existence, smallpox had killed 500 million people worldwide. And now, it's gone.
Just thought to share, since it's a heck of a thing to learn about.
