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[–] 26 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Didn't they use Cowpox instead of smallpox? The virus is similar enough to trigger the correct immune response, but significantly less deadly

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  • [–] 23 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Noticing the connection between cowpox and smallpox helped develop a safer vaccine, but prior to that in China and India they invented variolation (grinding up and applying the scabs to cause a milder infection) centuries before European vaccination experiments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variolation

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