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Flashcards in The Age of Enlightenment Deck (22)
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1
Q

Who introduced inoculation to the UK?

A

Lady Montagu

2
Q

What disease was inoculation used against?

A

Smallpox.

3
Q

Why was smallpox feared?

A

It often killed, and if you survived you would be scarred, or even disfigured.

4
Q

Where did Lady Montagu see inoculation being used?

A

Turkey, but the idea had got there from China.

5
Q

What did Montagu discover?

A

A healthy person could be immunised against smallpox by using pus from the sores of someone suffering from a mild form of the disease

6
Q

How was inoculation against smallpox done?

A

A thread soaked in pus was drawn through a small cut in the skin of the person being immunised.

7
Q

What was the problem with inoculation against smallpox?

A

It sometimes produced the full disease, and could therefore kill

8
Q

Why did people take the risk of death and still get inoculated against smallpox?

A

Smallpox was much feared, and people felt the risk was worthwhile.

9
Q

Why did doctors do inoculations, despite the risk of killing a patient?

A

The risk of inoculation was smaller than the risk of natural smallpox. Doctors also got very rich doing inoculations.

10
Q

Who was Edward Jenner?

A

A country doctor in Gloucestershire, born 1749

11
Q

What did Edward Jenner hear about smallpox?

A

It did not affect milkmaids, who did get cowpox.

12
Q

What did Edward Jenner do when he heard that people who got cowpox did not get smallpox?

A

He investigated, using scientific methods, and found that it was true.

13
Q

How did Jenner test his theory about cowpox and smallpox?

A

In 1796 he took a small boy and injected him with pus from the sores of a milkmaid who had cowpox. He then later injected him with smallpox. The boy did not get smallpox.

14
Q

Where do we get the word vaccination?

A

Vacca is the Latin for cow.

15
Q

How did smallpox get to America?

A

The European settlers brought it with them. The natives had no immunity against the new bug.

16
Q

What did the Native Americans do to thank Jenner?

A

They sent a delegation to England to thank him.

17
Q

What did parliament do to thank Jenner?

A

He was given £10,000 and £20,000, equivalent to millions today.

18
Q

When was vaccination made free for infants?

A

1840

19
Q

When was vaccination made compulsory?

A

1853

20
Q

Why were some people opposed to vaccination?

A

Some doctors saw it as a threat to their livelihood, and many people worried about giving themselves a cow disease.

21
Q

When was smallpox eradicated?

A

1979.

22
Q

Did Jenner understand why vaccination worked?

A

No, he just saw that it could.