Vaccination : A History ; From Lady Montagu To Jenner, Pasteur And Genetic Engineering

The history of vaccination is an important aspect of the history of mankind. Along with the development of hygiene, vaccinations have no doubt constituted the most outstanding advance in medicine. And yet, this subject that revolutionized both human and animal medicine has given rise to little, or at best incomplete, investigation. This oversight has now been remedied : the present volume is a fascinating work that reads like a novel but offers a wealth of information never before assembled in one book. This book is sure to interest a wide readership, including experts in the field. Vaccination : a History is composed of four major sections : the first deals mainly with smallpox (variolation and Jennerian vaccination) and with little-known variolation attempts in human medicine (syphilisation...) and veterinary medicine (bovine plague...). The role played by Lady Montagu, the instigator of this surprising novelty, is explored in detail. Stands in favour or against these practices are described, to illustrate how attitudes regarding them evolved ; the second section concerning Pasteur differs greatly from the usual portrayal of the master's work, a portrayal that close examination of Pasteur's notebooks reveals to be somewhat (if not highly) imprecise. Many references from Pasteur's notebooks are given, to highlight successive discoveries based on experimental results and the evolution of Pasteur's ideas ; the third section describes vaccine development after Pasteur, identifying the major stages of advancement in this field (serotherapy, anatoxins/toxoids, BCG, etc.) ; the modern era constitutes the fourth section and presents the advances made possible by molecular biology, as well as advances due simply to culture techniques, inoculation, etc. The last chapter, entirely dedicated to yellow fever, is very detailed in order to illustrate the interdependence between vaccine research and the ethical problems associated with vaccine use. Finally, the glossary presents the meaning and evolution of numerous terms such as immunity and vaccine, and the theories that gave rise to them, particularly before, during and after the Pasteurian era. Brief biographies of the most outstanding characters complete the picture. An extensive bibliography and an index follow. This book places the evolution of human (and veterinary) vaccinology in context. Ethical problems related to racine use are discussed, revealing surprising similitaries to present-day issues. Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and Doctor es-Sciences, Hervé Bazin is Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Louvain, Honorary Professor at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Medicine (Paris) and Member of the Veterinary Academy of France. Table des matières PREHISTORY Smallpox or variola Lady Montaigu brings variolation from Turkey : 1721 Smallpox vaccination and its uses from Jenner to Pasteur : 1796 PASTEUR AND VACCINES The chicken cholera vaccine Cattle anthrax and splenic fever in sheep : 1880-1881 The swing erysipelas vaccine VACCINES REACH MATURITY The arrival of the classic vaccines : heralding in the new medecine THE MODERN ERA Industrialsation of vaccine production Yellow fever vaccine