The dangers associated with self-administered medicine and other substances
Onesimus told Reverend Cotton Mather, known for his role in the Salem Witch trials, that he had been inoculated by those who enslaved him so he wouldn't catch smallpox and would therefore be worth more when sold.
Following the death of his son, Benjamin Franklin became an advocate of inoculation. He wrote several book introductions, and in 1759, even provided numbers that proved the risk of death was lower if you were inoculated.
During the American Revolutionary War, General George Washington demanded that the American troops be inoculated in order to join the Continental Army.
Lady Mary Wortley Montague was a British socialite who lived in Constantinople. She had her son and daughter inoculated. By 1723, it was obvious that inoculation in a controlled setting and with a medical professional's supervision was better than simply catching the illness.
Louis Pasteur experimented with drying the brains and spinal cords of rabid rabbits to weaken the rabies virus, eventually developing a vaccine using this method. He tested the vaccine on Joseph Meister, a young man bitten by a rabid animal, saving his life after he showed no symptoms of rabies.
In the 1930s, the development of electron microscopy revolutionized virology by allowing scientists to directly observe and classify individual viral particles based on their shape and size.
The first official vaccine was administered in the late 1700s when Edward Jenner inoculated a person who had never had smallpox or cowpox. The subjects in this experiment reacted mildly to the cowpox, which was given first, but had no reaction to the smallpox inoculation afterward.
For about 80 years, the cowpox vaccination was the only solution for preventing smallpox. A person known as Louis Pasteur, a French biochemist was one of the prominent people scientists interested in disease-causing organisms.
This breakthrough led to rapid viral research, aiding in the creation of vaccines for influenza, polio, and other critical viruses.
By 1954, Jonas Salk had created the first killed virus vaccine, or inactive vaccine, which was used to prevent Polio.
In the 1960s came the oral polio vaccine. At this point in history, trust in vaccines had been eroded. Albert Sabin developed the oral vaccine and brought it from the Soviet Union and Latin America to the USA.
In the 1950s and '60s, cooperation among nations led to the eradication of smallpox.
The success of Pasteur's vaccine marked a significant leap in vaccination technology, demonstrating the effectiveness of attenuated viruses. This principle of weakening pathogens to create vaccines became foundational for many future vaccines developed at the Pasteur Institute.
In the 1800s, scientists discovered antibodies—proteins that bind to and inactivate pathogens critical for preventing disease. This led to the development of antitoxins, where antibodies were produced in bulk and given to people to boost their immunity while their bodies developed their own antibodies.
Before the first vaccine was invented there was an immunization procedure known as inoculation or variolation. Researchers say that the first written inoculation procedure dates back to 1549.
After this, inoculation made its way to Europe and North Africa, and finally to the Massachusetts colony through a slave named Onesimus.
Antitoxins were created when a toxin from tetanus or diphtheria was given to a large mammal such as a horse. Once the animal developed antibodies against the toxin, they were harvested, purified, and given to humans.
In late 2019, a novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, leading to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments worldwide invested in vaccines, with Sinovac (killed virus) and Sputnik V (adenovirus vector) announced by mid-2020.
In the 1920s, it was discovered that, if combined with a toxin, an antitoxin would inactivate the toxin while leaving enough for the human immune system to react against it.
By the early 2000s, polio had been eliminated in Europe, the Americas, and most of Asia. In 2010, there were outbreaks in Africa and Central Asia. However, by the 2020s, type 2 and 3 polio had been eradicated, and only type 1 was present in Central Asia.
In 1902, after an antitoxin led to several deaths, the United States federal government created what's now known as the Food and Drug Administration. It was the first step in regulating medicines and therapies.
Pfizer and Moderna developed mRNA vaccines, approved in December 2020, using lipid nanoparticles to deliver genetic material. These vaccines trained immune cells to produce and recognize coronavirus proteins, enabling T cells and B cells to combat infection and provide long-term immunity.
Sources: (The College of Physicians of Philadelphia)
See also: Interesting facts about immunization
In the 1500s, the practice of inoculation traveled west toward the Ottoman Empire and reached Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) in the mid-1600s.
There are versions of an earlier inoculation practice, but it's only recorded in oral history. It's said that inoculation was invented by a Taoist or Buddhist monk or even a nun.
Edward Jenner observed that milkmaids and those who had already been infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox.
Rabies was also a problem during this time and Pasteur theorizes that something in the saliva of the animals was transferable. He first tried giving a small dose of rabies to animals but it was unsuccessful. He then decided to try and weaken the infectious agent before giving it to someone.
Advances in microbiology led to the development of subunit vaccines, where surface proteins of pathogens alone could trigger immunity. Later, recombinant vaccine technology was developed, using genetic material to create proteins in labs, avoiding pathogen cultivation and thereby improving safety.
The history of vaccines is an evolution of science and medicine that begins with early immunization practices and advances through centuries of innovation. From pioneering techniques shared across cultures to breakthroughs like Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, each step built on the last. The development of safer and more effective vaccines, such as those for polio and influenza, transformed public health. Vaccines have helped people throughout history and continue to today.
Curious to know more about the history of vaccines? Click through now.
How vaccines evolved to shape public health
A historical overview of immunization
HEALTH History
The history of vaccines is an evolution of science and medicine that begins with early immunization practices and advances through centuries of innovation. From pioneering techniques shared across cultures to breakthroughs like Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, each step built on the last. The development of safer and more effective vaccines, such as those for polio and influenza, transformed public health. Vaccines have helped people throughout history and continue to today.
Curious to know more about the history of vaccines? Click through now.