The Vaccine: A breakthrough which would save millions of lives!

Before the invention of Vaccination. Humans struggled against the deadly diseases caused by Viruses. It took centuries for humans to find the effective solution.

The concept of “germs”—something invisible that can cause illness—is a quite recent one. The germ theory is in reality a product of the nineteenth century; until then, disease was thought of as either divine intervention and punishment, or the result of “miasmas” (bad air, stench of rotting material), or on the balance of four vital humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, or yellow bile. The theory of “in balance in humors” (body fluids) dates back to the ancient Greeks.

What are viruses?

Viruses are parasitic organisms that live in infected cells and produce virions to disseminate their genes. These are infectious agents of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria. The word virus comes from the Latin meaning poison or slimy matter.

Early Success:

From the early 15th century, Asian physicians had some success and understanding of the principle of vaccination. They used to give children dried crusts from the lesions of the people suffering from smallpox to protect against the disease.

Modern Pioneer:

Dr. Edward Jenner (17th May 1749- 26th Jan 1823) was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines and created the world’s first vaccine Smallpox Vaccine in the year 1796. The term vaccine is derived from Variolae vaccinae(“pustules of the cow”), the term was derived by Dr. Jenner to denote cowpox. He is also known as “the father of immunology”. It is said that his work has saved “more lives than any other man”.

As of now, there are more than 2000 known Viruses. Scientists have found the vaccinations for some of the major disease-causing viruses in the last century like Small Pox, Rabies, Polio, Influenzas, Measles and the latest was COVID.

And the world is a better place because of Vaccines.