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LicenseSet of 6 vaccinators, cased, by Luer, French, 1831-1871
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Set of 6 vaccinators, cased, by Luer, French, 1831-1871
The vaccinators used for smallpox vaccination have a spear-like head to prevent the blade going too deep into the skin. The blade would have been dipped in lymph material from a smallpox pustule. Pustules are skin blisters filled with pus that appear approximately five to eight days after vaccination. The blade would then be used to vaccinate another person. This type of arm-to-arm vaccination was made illegal in 1898, as it could transmit other diseases such as syphilis. Specially prepared animal lymph was used instead. Vaccination did not give life-long immunity and had to be repeated.
Details
- Category:
- Public Health & Hygiene
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A600048
- Materials:
- case, leather, handle, ivory and blade, steel
- Measurements:
-
overall: 16 mm x 106 mm x 60 mm, .05kg
vaccinator: 90 mm
- type:
- vaccinator
