MIMM 214 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Emil Von Behring, Codex Theodosianus, Edward Jenner

• School: McGill University
• Department: Microbiology & Immunology
• Course: MIMM 214
• Professor: Joaquin Madrenas

Document Summary

Immunity = resistance to infection (natural selection) Coined by lucanus (39 65 ad): bellum civile (civil war in. Immunes = resistance (to poisonous snakes, the plague) Constantius ii had granted immunity to the land taxes for many persons after pruning the capitation taxes and the tax registers (resistance to pay tax: immunity) Edward jenner (1749 - 1823) and smallpox vaccination. Traditionally linked with the birth of immunology. At the time smallpox was the most important infection. He noticed milkmaids were immune to smallpox but had small ulcers on their hands from the benign disease cowpox. Vaccination: used pus from cow breast and injected into skin of humans to induce immunity to smallpox. 1980: eradication of smallpox from earth except in ussr. Smallpox has been killer on the loose for 2000 years. The chinese inoculated pus from human wound into the nostrils or skin of the infected.