On this day 40 years ago, smallpox was made history.

Scientists explain how dangerous and infectious smallpox has been in human history, detailing historical figures who were infected with the disease, as well as describing what an infection would feel like. Watch full episodes on discovery : https://bit.ly/3HfHr6e | Love Science

The world once ran away in fear of Smallpox. But I am a physician from Bengal, who found a way to protect people long before modern vaccines. You think vaccination started in 1796? No. Centuries before that, India practiced a method now called Variolation. The science was simple: Expose the body to a very small, controlled amount of the disease — so the immune system learns how to fight it. I collected dried material from smallpox sores, preserved it carefully, and during spring, introduced a ti