HSHSL Blog post highlights the similarities between the hesitancies toward the COVID-19 vaccinations and those for smallpox.
Read the latest Historical Collections blog post on HSHSL Updates.
The post titled "Vaccine Lessons from the Early 1800s: The Boon of Jenner and COVID-19," was written by spring 2021 intern Hanna Takemoto. It highlights the similarities between the hesitancies felt by some toward the COVID-19 vaccinations and those of 19th- and 20th-century illnesses. The post quotes passages from three 19th-century University of Maryland School of Medicine disserations, which discuss early vaccinations for smallpox and the fear people felt toward these methods of illness prevention. Takemoto also discusses the history of the smallpox vaccine, intruduced by English doctor Edward Jenner.
Takemoto is a new graduate of the MLIS program at the University of Maryland, College Park. She recently completed an internship at the HSHSL where she worked on a collection of 19th-century School of Medicine dissertations.
To read the post, go to: https://www2.hshsl.umaryland.edu/hslupdates/?p=4904