Articles & Research
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The First Vaccine Was Tested on a Child: How Edward Jenner Changed Medicine Forever
One of the earliest vaccine experiments was tested on a child. Edward Jenner wanted to prove that vaccination worked after observing that milkmaids who were getting infected with cowpox, rarely developed smallpox. Jenner wanted to test his theory that cowpox was somehow giving people immunity from smallpox. He tested the experiment on an eight-year-old boy.… Continue reading
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When Removing Blood Was Considered Healing: How Bloodletting Shaped George Washington’s Final Hours
Imagine being extremely ill and believing the only way to survive was to let out nearly half of your blood. That was George Washington’s fate in December 1799. George Washington died on December 14, 1799, following a brief but severe throat infection. In the hours leading up to his death, his physicians followed humoral medical… Continue reading
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