This page was created by Maren Ehlers. The last update was by Kate McDonald.
Smallpox and Smallpox Vaccines in the Popular Imagination
This woodblock-printed advertisement for vaccinations from 1856 illustrates some contemporary Japanese ideas about smallpox, as well as some of the methods and arguments used by vaccinators to persuade people of the value of the cowpox vaccine. It especially highlights the role of religion in promoting vaccinations—not just as a traditional belief system to be overcome by science, but also as way of aiding the popularization of the new technique. (Hover over the image to read transcriptions and translations of the text.) (For a version of the image with study guide, click here.)
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