The History of Vaccines (new website)
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest professional society in the United States, has just launched a new educational website on the History of Vaccines. There is so much information available, that it literally will blow your mind. I should post a picture, it's not pretty. Topics include "The Development of the Immunization Schedule," a timeline of vaccination history from the year 1000, "History of the anti-Vaccination Movements," and "Top 20 Questions about Vaccines." There are already 424 images and videos for your use and education. Wow.The site has been planned for several years and has been in development for a year. It will officially launch on November 3, 2010, when Stanley A. Plotkin, MD, developer of the current rubella vaccine, and emeritus professor of The Wistar Institute and The University of Pennsylvania, will give the Samuel X Radbill lecture entitled "Four Centuries of Vaccinology" in Philadelphia.
h/t Tara Smith at Aetiology
Thanks, Eli and Tara, this is a wonderful website! During the Iowa mumps outbreak of 2006, I was preparing talks on the topic and really enjoyed learning more about Dr. Maurice Hilleman, who isolated the first mumps vaccine strain from his daughter, Jeryl Lynn. He was responsible for many other vaccines advances as well. Go to the timeline and watch the interview clips of Dr. Hilleman, starting with the one from 3/23/1963. Great stuff! Dan
ReplyDeleteNice interview; as a parent of 2 young kids, I appreciate his dilemma and pride.
ReplyDeleteThis all reminds me of why I went into infectious diseases as a specialty. In my first year of med school I had the pleasure of taking a "History of Vaccine" elective. The instructors were Edward Mortimer and Fred Robbins. I knew then, I'd never take a better course in ID. What amazing people with their focus on the public's health and not the individual.