一臂之力——19世纪“人手传痘法”的历史与启示

A Helping Hand: History and Revelation of the “Arm-to-Arm Method” in the 19th Century

在疫苗生产技术尚不发达的19世纪,“人手传痘法”使牛痘接种成为了可能,进而构成了西方发达国家消除天花的重要基础。但这一点却经常被医学史家所忽视。研究通过回顾天花病毒特性和詹纳“发明”牛痘的过程,厘清了他工作的动机以及在英国推广“人手传痘法”的历史情境。相比之下,同样利用了“人手传痘法”的美国,依靠其既已建立的邮政基础设施,邮寄牛痘苗和操作指南、回收痘痂,从而有效解决了疫苗的生产和分发问题。以史为鉴,研究呼吁重新审视医疗基础设施在疫苗科学应用中的重要作用。

In the 19th century, when vaccine production and storage technologies were not yet developed,the “arm-to-arm method” made cowpox vaccination possible. That constitutes the important foundation for the elimination of smallpox in developed worlds. However, this is often overlooked by medical historians. By reviewing the characteristics of the smallpox virus and the process by which Edward Jenner “invented” cowpox,this study clarifies the motivation for his work and the historical context in which the “arm-to-arm method”was introduced in England. In contrast, the United States, also utilizing the “arm-to-arm method”, relied on its established postal infrastructure to mail cowpox vaccines and instructions, and to collect pox scabs, effectively solving the problem of vaccine production and distribution. Learning from history, the study also calls for a reexamination of the indispensable role that medical infrastructure plays in the application of vaccine science.