We Can Thank Cows for 'Vaccine'
2020-03-29
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2The spread of dangerous diseases around the world is not new.
3As trade and colonization expanded worldwide over hundreds of years, so did some dangerous diseases.
4And smallpox was one of the worst of them.
5Happily, smallpox has been eradicated, meaning it does not exist in nature anymore.
6The story of how smallpox was defeated is closely linked to the English word, "vaccine."
7However, before modern science made that happen, humans had suffered from the disease for a very long time.
8Researchers even found a 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy with smallpox scars.
9Smallpox was a severe and deadly disease.
10The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes smallpox as devastating.
11"On average, three out of every 10 people who got it died.
12Those who survived were usually left with scars, which were sometimes severe."
13By the 18th century, smallpox was still infecting and killing people around the world.
14But in England, there were some interesting stories going around about milkmaids.
15Milkmaids were women who milked cows.
16 They were known to get a mild disease called cowpox.
17And the scientific term for cowpox is at the heart of our story about the English word, "vaccine."
18Cowpox is a disease that affects cows but can spread to humans through a scratch or cut.
19Cowpox would often cause a few sores, but it is not serious.
20Smallpox, however, can leave terrible scars at the very least and cause death at the very worst.
21But milkmaids did not seem to get the damaging disease.
22A British doctor named Edward Jenner (1749-1823) wanted to find out if the stories were true.
23So, he did an experiment on his gardener's son, nine-year-old James Phipps.
24Jenner took material from a milkmaid's cowpox sore and injected it into the child.
25The nine year old, predictably, got cowpox.
26But, months later when Jenner exposed Phipps to smallpox, the child never became infected.
27Jenner performed this experiment on more people before publishing his findings, calling them: "An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of Variolae Vaccinae."
28The Latin term "variolae vaccinae" means something like 'pustules from a cow.' A pustule is a small bump on the skin that contains or produces infected fluid or pus.
29And, let's face it, pustule - whether in Latin or not - is a bit gross.
30So, it is the word "vaccine," based on the Latin word for cow - vaca - that stuck.
31In time, vaccines became known as the substances that give immunity from other diseases as well.
32And that is the story of the English word, vaccine ...
33... which brings us to the end this Words and Their Stories.
34Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2The spread of dangerous diseases around the world is not new. 3As trade and colonization expanded worldwide over hundreds of years, so did some dangerous diseases. And smallpox was one of the worst of them. 4Happily, smallpox has been eradicated, meaning it does not exist in nature anymore. The story of how smallpox was defeated is closely linked to the English word, "vaccine." 5However, before modern science made that happen, humans had suffered from the disease for a very long time. Researchers even found a 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy with smallpox scars. 6Smallpox was a severe and deadly disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes smallpox as devastating. "On average, three out of every 10 people who got it died. Those who survived were usually left with scars, which were sometimes severe." 7By the 18th century, smallpox was still infecting and killing people around the world. But in England, there were some interesting stories going around about milkmaids. 8Milkmaids were women who milked cows. They were known to get a mild disease called cowpox. And the scientific term for cowpox is at the heart of our story about the English word, "vaccine." 9Cowpox is a disease that affects cows but can spread to humans through a scratch or cut. Cowpox would often cause a few sores, but it is not serious. Smallpox, however, can leave terrible scars at the very least and cause death at the very worst. But milkmaids did not seem to get the damaging disease. 10A British doctor named Edward Jenner (1749-1823) wanted to find out if the stories were true. So, he did an experiment on his gardener's son, nine-year-old James Phipps. Jenner took material from a milkmaid's cowpox sore and injected it into the child. 11The nine year old, predictably, got cowpox. But, months later when Jenner exposed Phipps to smallpox, the child never became infected. 12Jenner performed this experiment on more people before publishing his findings, calling them: "An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of Variolae Vaccinae." 13The Latin term "variolae vaccinae" means something like 'pustules from a cow.' A pustule is a small bump on the skin that contains or produces infected fluid or pus. 14And, let's face it, pustule - whether in Latin or not - is a bit gross. So, it is the word "vaccine," based on the Latin word for cow - vaca - that stuck. 15In time, vaccines became known as the substances that give immunity from other diseases as well. 16And that is the story of the English word, vaccine ... 17... which brings us to the end this Words and Their Stories. 18Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 19Historical events related to smallpox from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22devastating - adj. causing great damage or harm 23scar - n. a mark remaining (as on the skin) after injured tissue has healed 24sore - n. a sore or painful spot on the body usually with the skin broken or bruised and often with infection 25expose - v. to cause (someone) to experience something or to be influenced or affected by something 26pus - n. a thick, yellowish substance that is produced when a part of the body or a wound becomes infected 27immunity - n. the power to keep yourself from being affected by a disease 28Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.