What is variolation and how was it used?
Variolation. Variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules of patients with a mild form of the disease (variola minor). The disease then usually occurs in a less-dangerous form than when contracted naturally. The method was popularized in England in 1721–22 by Lady Mary...
Is variolation a permanent treatment for smallpox?
It is not the treatment procedure of the disease. Also, variolation can protect people from smallpox to a particular extent. In some cases, variolation was unable to protect the patient from the second attack. Therefore, a permanent treatment process of smallpox was necessary.
What is variolation and how dangerous is it?
Variolation gets its name from Variola - the scientific name for the smallpox virus. Infection with variola major, the most severe strain of the smallpox virus, had a mortality of around 35%. People would often contract the virus through inhalation.
What is the Suttonian method of variolation?
By this time, the technique of variolation had become more refined - the so-called Suttonian method. In this method, the smallpox material was administered through a small scratch on the skin.
What is variolation in simple terms?
variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules of patients with a mild form of the disease (variola minor). The disease then usually occurs in a less-dangerous form than when contracted naturally.
What is variolation When and why was it used?
Variolation, the practice of infecting people with low doses of smallpox, dates back to 1000 BC in India. It would generally induce a mild form of the disease, which would prevent the person from being re-infected. Edward Jenner realised that a milkmaid infected with cowpox would not subsequently get smallpox.
What is difference between variolation and vaccination?
Variolation used viral matter from smallpox patients, usually pus from a light case of smallpox. Jenner's vaccination, meanwhile, used matter from the milder cowpox virus. As a milder disease carrying the same immunities, cowpox matter was much safer.
Which is better vaccination or variolation?
Variolation served as a natural precursor to the discovery of vaccination. The major differences between the two were that in vaccination, material from cowpox, an animal disease, was used, but particularly that it was far safer to those vaccinated and was far more rarely transmitted to their contacts.
Who used to test variolation?
Jenner also knew about variolation and guessed that exposure to cowpox could be used to protect against smallpox. To test his theory, Dr. Jenner took material from a cowpox sore on milkmaid Sarah Nelmes' hand and inoculated it into the arm of James Phipps, the 9-year-old son of Jenner's gardener.
How do you say variolation?
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Who introduced variolation in Europe?
Inoculation, hereafter referred to as variolation, was likely practiced in Africa, India, and China long before the 18th century, when it was introduced to Europe (9). In 1670, Circassian traders introduced variolation to the Turkish “Ottoman” Empire.
What is the difference between a vaccine and an immunization?
Vaccination: The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from a specific disease. Immunization: A process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination.
Does China still vaccinate for smallpox?
Vaccination requirements were relaxed in 1978, but smallpox vaccination is still offered to children as part of the immunization programme.
What percentage of people need to be immune to herd immunity?
There is no magic number. At the start of the pandemic, figures like 60 to 70% were given as estimates of how much of the population would need immunity from the coronavirus in order to reach herd immunity.
Why is Edward Jenner considered the father of vaccination?
Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology in the West in 1796, after he inoculated a 13 year-old-boy with vaccinia virus (cowpox), and demonstrated immunity to smallpox. In 1798, the first smallpox vaccine was developed.
What is Variolation in medicine?
Variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules ...
What is the name of the disease that is transmitted by infecting pustules?
Variolation, obsolete method of immunizing patients against smallpox by infecting them with substance from the pustules of patients with a mild form of the disease (variola minor). The disease then usually occurs in a less-dangerous form than when contracted naturally.
What is variolation in medicine?
Variolation, the intentional inoculation of an individual with smallpox material, traces back to 16th century China. Variolation used a lancet or needle to introduce pulverized dried smallpox scabs or pustule fluid into the skin of an individual. This resulted in a milder form of the disease with a much lower fatality rate (2–3%), compared to natural smallpox infection. However, a person contracting smallpox through variolation could still transmit it to other individuals, and variolation spread other diseases, such as syphilis and hepatitis. Variolation was widely practiced in Africa, India, and China, and in the absence of a better solution, variolation was adopted in Europe and its colonies in the 1700s.
Where was variolation practiced?
By 1700, variolation was employed in a number of societies in Africa, India, and the Ottoman empire, and it was in use in England and France in the 1700s. 16 The practice of variolation was not without risk and sometimes caused outbreaks of a mild form of the disease.
Who was the first person to use variolation?
In the United States, variolation was promoted by a prominent minister, Cotton Mather, in collaboration with a Boston physician, Zabdiel Boylston.17,152 General George Washington instituted variolation among the Continental Army in 1777 in an effort to minimize the drastic effect smallpox outbreaks were having on soldiers' combat readiness.16 Thomas Jefferson and his family underwent variolation in 1782. 162 Benjamin Franklin lost a 4-year-old son to smallpox in 1736 and later became an outspoken proponent of variolation, even setting up an organization to provide free variolation to poor people. 163,164
What was the first attempt to prevent disease?
The first efforts to vaccinate were, in fact variolation (from Latin variola, smallpox), which is the use of tissues or fluids containing a virus that has lost its virulence, to induce the immune response and therefore to create immunity without causing the disease. The first known certifiable and deliberate effort to prevent disease using such methods is with smallpox, as is suggested by the name. It is not until use of the cowpox virus to create an acquired immunity to smallpox, did the science of vaccination take off, and this name comes again from the Latin, but for cow, vacca.
History of Smallpox
Smallpox was a dangerous infectious disease in the ancient world. In different centuries, smallpox was spread among people at different rates. In the 6th century, it was spread in China, Korea, and Japan. In the 7th century, smallpox was found among the people of Spain, Arab, Northern Africa, and Portugal.
Invention of Variolation
In the 18th century, smallpox became an extremely terrible disease. The spread of smallpox was out of control in the world. Medical science was not much advanced at that time. There was no specific treatment for smallpox. People were dying from the disease due to a lack of treatment.
How Does Variolation Work?
Variolation is not the treatment process of smallpox. In this method, smallpox can be prevented only. Also, the harm of smallpox can be reduced through this process. People were immunized in this method by infecting the substances from the patients' pustules.
Problems of Variolation
Variolation was the only method to control the spread and harm of smallpox. Though variolation was the first prevention method of smallpox, there are some problems with the method. The problems are mentioned below.
Vaccination From Variolation
Variolation can only prevent smallpox. It is not the treatment procedure of the disease. Also, variolation can protect people from smallpox to a particular extent. In some cases, variolation was unable to protect the patient from the second attack. Therefore, a permanent treatment process of smallpox was necessary.
What is variolation in medicine?
Variolation was a primitive method of immunizing people against smallpox. In a nutshell, people were intentionally infected with a mild case of smallpox to prevent a more serious, deadly case. Variolation gets its name from Variola - the scientific name for the smallpox virus. Infection with variola major, the most severe strain ...
Did George Washington variolate?
From Europe, variolation made its way to America - George Washington even had the Continental Army variolated. Despite its successes, variolation wasn’t a cure-all. In many cases, variolated people simply spread smallpox to other people. Here’s where vaccination came into the picture.
What is Variolation?
Variolation is the process of inoculating an individual with the powdered viral scabs. It is the method used to immunize people against smallpox. It began in China and the Middle East. However, this method is not in use now.
What is Vaccination?
Vaccination is a method of immunization against an infectious agent. During vaccination, administration of an attenuated virus takes place. It is the weakened form of the virus that expresses the antigens. Therefore, the host starts producing antibodies in response to the antigens, thereby generating immunity in the host.
What is the Difference Between Variolation and Vaccination?
Variolation refers to the process of inoculating live virus in order to create immunity against smallpox. In contrast, vaccination refers to the administration of attenuated viruses as vaccines in order to create immunity in people for diseases. So, this is the key difference between variolation and vaccination.
Summary – Variolation vs Vaccination
In summarizing the difference between variolation and vaccination, variolation and vaccination are two methods used as immunization. Variolation involves administering live viruses to develop immunity of the host. In contrast, vaccination involves administering an attenuated virus in response to an infection.
History of Smallpox
- Smallpox was a dangerous infectious disease in the ancient world. In different centuries, smallpox was spread among people at different rates. In the 6th century, it was spread in China, Korea, and Japan. In the 7th century, smallpox was found among the people of Spain, Arab, Northern Africa, and Portugal. In Europe, smallpox was first found in the 11th century. With the European settler…
Invention of Variolation
- In the 18th century, smallpox became an extremely terrible disease. The spread of smallpox was out of control in the world. Medical science was not much advanced at that time. There was no specific treatment for smallpox. People were dying from the disease due to a lack of treatment. Many doctors and scientists tried different ways to prevent and cure the disease. No one could f…
How Does Variolation Work?
- Variolation is not the treatment process of smallpox. In this method, smallpox can be prevented only. Also, the harm of smallpox can be reduced through this process. People were immunized in this method by infecting the substances from the patients' pustules. After injecting the substances into the body of the unaffected people, they are infected w...
Problems of Variolation
- Variolation was the only method to control the spread and harm of smallpox. Though variolation was the first prevention method of smallpox, there are some problems with the method. The problems are mentioned below. 1. Variolation is not a risk-free method. With the substances of smallpox from the patients' pustules, other harmful substances can enter into the body of the un…
Vaccination from Variolation
- Variolation can only prevent smallpox. It is not the treatment procedure of the disease. Also, variolation can protect people from smallpox to a particular extent. In some cases, variolation was unable to protect the patient from the second attack. Therefore, a permanent treatment process of smallpox was necessary. In the 18th century, many scientists tried to bring a permanent solut…
Did You Know?
- Now, we are going to discuss some unknown facts about variolation. 1. There was a widely believed idea that cowpox can be used to immunize against smallpox. 2. Depending on the concept of variolation, British scientist Edward Jenner invented the vaccine of smallpox. 3. India and China were the first civilizations, who inoculated their children against smallpox using variol…