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Additional trivia - Benjamin Franklin was a big proponent of inoculation. He tried to spread the awarness and convince people that it's safe and effective. Unfo

Additional trivia - Benjamin Franklin was a big proponent of inoculation. He tried to spread the awarness and convince people that it's safe and effective. Unfortunately his first son died of smallpox before he could be inoculated. He was 4 and developed some other infection, so BJ decided to wait with inoculation. Before he could perform it, he contracted the disease. It was huge blow to the credibility of BJ claims about inoculation, but he continued his mission nevertheless.

peterwwillis 6y ago
Claims about variolation/inoculation, not vaccination. Vaccines were discovered 6 years after Franklin's death.
ptaipale 6y ago
I think it is somewhat incorrect to call this vaccination, because the proper term for what was available in Benjamin Franklin's time was variolation, or inoculation.
- elliekelly 6y ago
  An interesting tidbit about the origin of two terms from Wikipedia: > Until the very early 1800s, inoculation referred only to the practice of variolation, the predecessor to the smallpox vaccine. Edward Jenner introduced the latter in 1798, when it was called cowpox inoculation, or vaccine inoculation (from Latin vacca = cow). Smallpox inoculation continued to be referred to as variolation (from variola = smallpox), whereas cowpox inoculation was referred to as vaccination (from Jenner's use of variolae vaccinae = smallpox of the cow). The article goes on to explain how the meanings of the terms have since expanded: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation
  - twic 6y ago
    I suppose the analogue of Jenner's cowpox innoculations would be infecting people with coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2 and hoping that the cross-immunity is helpful. There is evidence for such cross-immunity, but not strong enough for this to be a strategy you'd bet on.
Cactus2018 6y ago
Benjamin Franklin wrote about the incident in his autobiography nearly a half-century later: >> In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. >> I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. >> This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.

peterwwillis 6y ago

Claims about variolation/inoculation, not vaccination. Vaccines were discovered 6 years after Franklin's death.

ptaipale 6y ago

I think it is somewhat incorrect to call this vaccination, because the proper term for what was available in Benjamin Franklin's time was variolation, or inoculation.

elliekelly 6y ago
An interesting tidbit about the origin of two terms from Wikipedia: > Until the very early 1800s, inoculation referred only to the practice of variolation, the predecessor to the smallpox vaccine. Edward Jenner introduced the latter in 1798, when it was called cowpox inoculation, or vaccine inoculation (from Latin vacca = cow). Smallpox inoculation continued to be referred to as variolation (from variola = smallpox), whereas cowpox inoculation was referred to as vaccination (from Jenner's use of variolae vaccinae = smallpox of the cow). The article goes on to explain how the meanings of the terms have since expanded: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation
- twic 6y ago
  I suppose the analogue of Jenner's cowpox innoculations would be infecting people with coronaviruses other than SARS-CoV-2 and hoping that the cross-immunity is helpful. There is evidence for such cross-immunity, but not strong enough for this to be a strategy you'd bet on.

Cactus2018 6y ago

Benjamin Franklin wrote about the incident in his autobiography nearly a half-century later: >> In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. >> I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. >> This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.