Vaccination

• What were the main characteristics of medicine in 18th and 19th Century Britain?

  • Limited understanding of disease transmission
  • Reliance on traditional methods like inoculation
  • Emergence of vaccination as a preventive measure
• What was the only way to prevent smallpox before Jenner's discovery?

  Inoculation
• How many people died of smallpox in London in 1751?

  Over 3,500 people
• Who introduced the method of inoculation into England?

  Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
• What was the process of inoculation as described in the study material?

  It involved making a cut in a patient's arm and introducing pus from someone who had a mild case of smallpox.
• Who was Edward Jenner and what did he discover?

  He was a country doctor who discovered a link between smallpox and cowpox.
• What did Jenner do in 1796 to test his theory?

  He injected a small boy with pus from a cowpox sore and then exposed him to smallpox.
• What term did Jenner coin for his method of disease prevention?

  Vaccination
• What financial support did Jenner receive from Parliament?

  He received £10,000 in 1802 and a further £20,000 a few years later.
• What was the impact of Jenner's vaccination on smallpox cases in Britain?

  It contributed to a significant fall in the number of smallpox cases.
• What were the key developments in vaccination policy in Britain during the 19th century?

  • 1840: Vaccination against smallpox made free for infants
  • 1853: Vaccination made compulsory
  • Significant reduction in smallpox cases
• What was the general public attitude towards vaccination at the time?

  Many people were skeptical and resistant to vaccination.
• Why was Jenner unable to develop other vaccines after smallpox?

  He did not understand why his vaccine worked.
• What scientific advancement allowed for the development of more vaccines after Jenner's time?

  The publication of the Germ Theory.
• How significant was the smallpox vaccination in the context of medical discoveries in Britain between 1700 and 1900?

  It was the most important medical discovery during that period.