Summary
Smallpox was a highly virulent, contagious disease. Initial attempts to control the
disease by variolation were controversial and dangerous. Variolation was the subject
of some of the earliest published clinical trials. Vaccination was discovered by Edward
Jenner in 1796. From initial skepticism by the medical community the uptake became
so widespread that smallpox vaccination was made compulsory in England and Wales in
1853. Eventually, this led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980. Parallels can be
drawn with modern vaccination and the smallpox vaccine especially with the current
intense media scrutiny of modern vaccinations.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
July 23,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 The British Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
