BIOL 118 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Cowpox, Variolation, Germ Theory Of Disease

• School: University of San Diego
• Department: Biology Courses
• Course: BIOL 118
• Professor: Terry Bird

Document Summary

Purposely expose themselves to pathogen to gain immunity. Cuckoo dropping off egg in other birds nest. Variolation of cow pox can lead to possible small pox immunity. No well defined ethics during this time. Cow variolation for humans to get small pox immunity, then. Why would cow pox give immunity to small pox (possible exam. Two pathogens present similar symptoms--suggests that pathogen diverged from common ancestor (similar dna sequence) Antigen can be the same, comes fr the genetic code (blueprint); antigen apart of the virus. Antigen on cow pox & small pox either the same or very similar* Antibodies for cow pox antigen so similar same antibodies & cytoxic t cells kill and attack the host cells. No first person to think of cow variolation on humans. Benjamin jesty (country farm) recognized and & did the same on his own too. Last victim naturally infected by small box 1980.