Eradication of Smallpox Edward Jenner and the First and Only Eradication of a Human Infectious Disease

Every one of us can be glad - for ourselves, for our children - that humankind has triumphed in eradicating smallpox from the world. What toll of human suffering lies in the past? How many died or were disfigured by this cruel disease? Where did it come from, how was it transmitted? How did Edward Jenner, a humble country doctor bring about a revolution in vaccination that changed history in an almost unparalleled manner? What has happened since then to eradicate this disease, and how have we managed the world's remaining stocks of the virus - kept under the tightest security in two sites in Russia and the USA? Our lives have all benefited immeasurably from the history recounted here. Thoroughly researched, and written in an engaging style by Hervé Bazin, the story of the eradication of smallpox - from it's first known origins to the present day - is a fascinating, heart-rending, humorous and uplifting tale. Illustrated with 120 photographs, many originating from unique historical plates in the author's private collection, this book is just testimony to the success of immunology and virology, and marks the 20th anniversary of the global eradication of this infectious disease. "Since the discovery of the vaccine is the only one that medicine has achieved in the current period, it will suffice as an eternal illustration of our period in the history of science, and to immortalise the name of Jenner by assigning him an eminent place amongst the principal benefactors of humanity." Cuvier (1810)Bazin, Hervé is the author of 'Eradication of Smallpox Edward Jenner and the First and Only Eradication of a Human Infectious Disease' with ISBN 9780120834754 and ISBN 0120834758.