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Smallpox vaccine is by far the most impactful scientific achievement. Imagine something deadly enough that the first solution variolation killed 1-2% of those
by Retric 2y ago
Smallpox vaccine is by far the most impactful scientific achievement.
Imagine something deadly enough that the first solution variolation killed 1-2% of those who took it and people still lined their kids to take such lifesaving medicine. Historically, Smallpox killed ~1/3 of the infected and the survivors were often blind and or horrifically scared and it was literally doing this for thousands of years. And yet it’s been almost completely forgotten about today.
Something like a billion lives saved and counting.
- nxobject 2y agoNot just the vaccine – the complete _eradication_ of smallpox, too. One of humanity's finest moments.
- Retric 2y agoThe eradication was a major achievement, but not strictly a scientific achievement IMO. I find it hard to imagine 300-500 million people died from smallpox in the 20th century. Yet we both eliminated it May 8, 1980 and had drastically reduced the number of cases well before that point. The last US case was in 1949 and the vaccine was being administered starting in 1796.