Tue 9 February 2010
About immunisation > History
Variolation comes to Europe
Variolation eventually spread to Turkey and in the early 18th century it came to the notice of Lady Mary
Wortley Montagu (right), poet and wife of the British ambassador to Turkey.
She wrote to a friend, 'I am patriot enough to take pains to bring this useful invention into fashion in England', and did so by having both of her children inoculated and urging many others to do the same.
Smallpox at this time was the most infectious disease in Europe, striking rich and poor, and killing up to a fifth of those infected in numerous epidemics.
During the epidemic of 1721, this new practice caught the attention of Sir Hans Sloane, physician to the royal family, who experimented with variolation on some of London's prisoners and found it to be successful.
Variolation caused mild illness but, although it could occasionally cause death, smallpox rates were lower in populations that tried it.