Early vaccine advocacy: Medals honoring Edward Jenner issued during the 19th century

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 38; no. 6; pp. 1450 - 1456
• Main Author: Esparza, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 05.02.2020; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: 19th century; Advocacy; Awards and Prizes; Biographies; Children; Children & youth; Cowpox; England; Epidemics; France; Germany; History; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; Horsepox; Humans; Immunization; Italy; Jenner; Medal; Medals; Public health; Sacco; Smallpox; Smallpox - prevention & control; Smallpox Vaccine - history; Vaccination; Vaccines; Vaccinia; England; Italy; France; Germany; Europe; Jenner; Smallpox; Advocacy; Cowpox; Vaccination; Horsepox; Medal; History; Vaccinia; Sacco
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.11.077

•From 1798 Jennerian vaccination was rapidly adopted in Europe and elsewhere.•Medals bearing the name or effigies of Jenner were given as vaccination rewards.•Those medals were examples of vaccine advocacy in the 19th century. The results from the first vaccination experiments published by Edward Jenner in 1798 were widely disseminated and consequently Jennerian vaccination was rapidly introduced in Europe and elsewhere. One of the reasons for the rapid spread of vaccination was that Jenner championed the procedure as a public health tool and not just as a mean to achieve individual protection. Vaccination was promoted by the highest levels of government in Germany where the vaccine was introduced in 1799 and also in France, where the vaccine arrived in 1800. Medals were used to promote vaccination both rewarding parents of vaccinated children as well as meritorious vaccinators. The first medal mentioning the name of Jenner was minted in Germany in 1803 followed by others, minted in Germany, Italy, France and England. Numerous other vaccine medals were made during the 19th century as an early and little known approach to advocating for vaccination.