Simon Schama on how inoculation changed the world
HistoryExtra podcast
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The Importance of Inoculation
Lady Mary Wernley-Montegee, who was the wife of the British Ambassador to Constantinople, saw that women were completely unmarked. She had herself gone through a terrifying attack with smallpox and had survived but lost all her beauty. Her eyelashes never came back. Just curiosity led her to believe that inoculation would actually save you from death or disfigurement. It helped absolutely that the Royal Family was converted. And there are some extraordinary country doctors, it's not just a matter of a fashion for inoculation - they're called Thomas Nettleton in Halifax.
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