Theves G
Administration des Services Vétérinaires, Luxembourg.
Bull Soc Sci Med Grand Duche Luxemb. 1997;134(1):31-51.
The first protection against smallpox, a disease known already in old China and India, consisted in rubbing infectious material from smallpox patients into the scratched skin of children. Lady Montagu brought this method from Turkey to England in 1721. This "variolation", however dangerous, was adopted in Europe during the eighteenth century mainly by the aristocracy. But it was Edward Jenner (1749-1823) who in 1796 used cowpox to protect against smallpox without the risk of acquiring the disease. During more than 60 years the "vaccination" was carried out from "arm to arm" with a certain risk of transmission of syphilis. From 1864 on the vaccine was mainly produced on cows to avoid this risk. The WHO managed in 1978 to eliminate smallpox from the planet by vaccination. The smallpox outbreaks, the inoculation, the vaccination and the production of cowpox vaccine in Luxembourg are described.
天花是一种在古代中国和印度就已为人所知的疾病，最初的预防方法是将天花患者的感染物质擦入儿童划破的皮肤中。1721年，蒙塔古夫人将这种方法从土耳其带到了英国。这种“人痘接种法”，无论多么危险，在18世纪的欧洲主要被贵族采用。但正是爱德华·詹纳（1749 - 1823）在1796年用牛痘来预防天花，且没有感染该疾病的风险。在60多年的时间里，“种痘”是通过“手臂对手臂”进行的，存在一定的梅毒传播风险。从1864年起，主要在牛身上生产疫苗以避免这种风险。世界卫生组织在1978年通过接种疫苗成功在全球消灭了天花。本文描述了卢森堡的天花疫情、接种、种痘以及牛痘疫苗的生产情况。
