War Against Smallpox: Edward Jenner and the Global Spread of Vaccination

Michael Bennett's book provides the first history of the global spread of vaccination during the Napoleonic Wars, focusing on the human story of the horrors of smallpox, the hopes invested in vaccination, and the early challenges, successes, and disappointments.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 434 pages
\n Publication date: 18 June 2020
\n Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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Michael Bennett offers a comprehensive history of the global spread of vaccination during the Napoleonic Wars, delving into the discovery of cowpox and the remarkable achievement of Edward Jenner in making cowpox inoculation a widely accessible and effective practice. He explores the intricate networks that facilitated the distribution of the vaccine across the world, examining the diverse receptions and establishment of vaccination among people in various corners of the globe. Bennett's primary focus lies in the human narrative, encompassing the horrors of smallpox, the hopes and aspirations vested in vaccination by medical professionals and parents, the children who were brought together across continents, and the early challenges, successes, and disappointments encountered in the vaccination campaign. He presents vaccination as a transformative force, genuinely emancipatory but also serving as a manifestation of growing state power. By the end of the war in 1815, millions of children had been vaccinated, marking a significant milestone in the fight against smallpox. This early success paved the way for further advancements toward the ultimate eradication of the disease.

Michael Bennett provides the first history of the global spread of vaccination during the Napoleonic Wars,offering a new assessment of the cowpox discovery and Edward Jenner s achievement in making cowpox inoculation a viable and universally available practice. He explores the networks that took the vaccine around the world,and the reception and establishment of vaccination among peoples in all corners of the globe. His focus is on the human story of the horrors of smallpox,the hopes invested in vaccination by medical men and parents,the children put arm-to-arm across the world,and the early challenges,successes and disappointments. He presents vaccination as a quiet revolution,genuinely emancipatory,but also the sharp end of growing state power. By the end of the war in 1815,millions of children had been vaccinated. The early success of the war against smallpox paved the way to further advances towards eradication.

\n Weight: 624g\n
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 25 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780521147880\n \n