Smallpox Inoclosion: A Case Study

In order to discover a cure and treatment for diseases, experiments had to be conducted. But, not all experiments were successful, and not all patrons were in favor of the medicinal remedies. A major technique that was practiced during the time of the smallpox epidemic was inoculation. Inoculation was a perilous procedure as it involved extracting the pus out of one of the smallpox pustules and then injecting it into a healthy person. The goal of the procedure was to grant a person with immunity from smallpox. Regardless, patrons who participated in inoculations exhibited symptoms of smallpox, but in a milder form and the morality rate amongst the participants were significantly lower than those who went without the procedure (academic). However, inoculations also caused individuals to become …show more content…
And occasionally a few unqualified or inexperienced doctors who practiced inoculations did not advocate or enforce that newly inoculated patients quarantine themselves (schumann). As a result, these patients contributed negatively towards the epidemics. Much of the lower class were opposed to the procedure because inoculations were expensive, and they argued that the “wealthy put the larger community at risk” (Philadelphia). Many physicians were also averse to the act of inoculations, but despite their disapproval few physicians still conducted the procedure on patients (academic). Eventually, instead of banning the practice of inoculations, it began to be regulated. Alternatively, another remedy that was utilized to treat diseases was bloodletting. Some physicians believed that the body was at a constant state of equilibrium between fluids and solids (Philadelphia). Although they were not wrong about the notion of the body being in a state of equilibrium, otherwise known as homeostasis, but it is much more complicated than just a balance of solids and