Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Discovery of the Smallpox Vaccine

Product Description In 1796, an unknown country doctor named Edward Jenner developed and administered the world's first vaccine-turning the tide in humanity's age-old war against disease. Award-winning author Albert Marrin explains the significance of "immortal" Jenner's gift to mankind as he narrates the epic story of smallpox, a disease so contagious and deadly it has dramatically influenced the course of history. From the mummified remains of its first known victim to the sinister threat of the "frozen monster" that lurks in the vials of ultramodern laboratories, readers will be held spellbound by this readable and timely combination of science and history. From School Library Journal Grade 5-9-This is a fascinating, detailed history of the smallpox virus, beginning with its probable origins in a farm animal in Asia or the Middle East approximately 8000 years ago, continuing with its spread to Europe via trade routes, to the New World with the Spanish explorers, and concluding with the current concern that remaining stocks of variola may fall into the hands of terrorists intent on waging germ warfare. Intertwined with the disease's history is the biography of Edward Jenner, the 18th-century English surgeon whose observation that milkmaids who had contracted cowpox were immune to smallpox led him to conduct experiments that resulted in the perfection of the smallpox vaccination. Jenner is portrayed as a dedicated doctor devoted to what he considered a sacred mission, that of completely annihilating the "Speckled Monster" and demonstrating that science could ultimately triumph over disease. His dream appeared to have come true when the World Health Organization declared in 1980 that smallpox had been eradicated from Earth, but the continued existence in the U.S. and Russia of some 600 vials of frozen variola, originally slated to be destroyed by December 31, 1993, is at the center of an ongoing controversy among scientists, governments, and the military. Black-and-white photos appear throughout. This title updates James Cross Giblin's When Plague Strikes: The Black Death, Smallpox, AIDS (HarperCollins, 1995). Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist *Starred Review* Gr. 4-8. Marrin's latest offering is a fascinating, eminently readable social history of smallpox, with an emphasis on Dr. Edward Jenner's contributions to eradicate the disease. Beginning with a description of the role smallpox played in the decimation of the Aztec empire, Marrin makes clear that infectious disease began to take hold and spread once people started living in settled groups and that smallpox probably crossed over to humans from a farm animal host. He explains how the virus works within the body, describes several well-known outbreaks, and recounts how Jenner, an English country surgeon, using a combination of observation and experimentation, developed what we now call the smallpox vaccine. Marrin's writing is direct and succinct, and his scientific explanations are lucid and well detailed. Numerous black-and-white period illustrations (some appropriately gruesome) appear in most chapters, adding interest to the text. A final chapter on smallpox as a weapon of mass destruction makes this title particularly current. Appended with bibliographies of books and Internet sites, the book is a great choice for both science and history classes as well as a solid read for science buffs. The title and the cover will definitely attract browsers. Kay Weisman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Albert Marrin is a much-decorated historian and writer whose most recent book, Terror of the Spanish Main, was called "addictive reading" in The Horn Book. He lives in Riverdale, New York.