The Roots of Progress

Share this post

The history of smallpox & the origins of vaccines

newsletter.rootsofprogress.org

The history of smallpox & the origins of vaccines

Jason Crawford
Nov 21, 2019
Share
Share this post

The history of smallpox & the origins of vaccines

newsletter.rootsofprogress.org

Slaying the speckled monster

Smallpox was one of the worst diseases in human history. It killed an estimated 300 million people or more in the 20th century alone; only tuberculosis and malaria have been more deadly. Its victims were often children, even infants.

It is also, among diseases, humanity’s greatest triumph: the only human disease we have completely eradicated, with zero naturally occurring cases reported worldwide, even in the most remote locations and the poorest countries, for over forty years.

Along the way, it led to fierce religious and political debates, some of the earliest clinical trials and quantitative epidemiology, and the first vaccines.

This is the story of smallpox, and how we killed it.


Read the post: https://rootsofprogress.org/smallpox-and-vaccines

Share
Share this post

The history of smallpox & the origins of vaccines

newsletter.rootsofprogress.org
Previous
Next
Comments
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Jason Crawford
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing