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The Angus Briefing · Yesterday · 3 min

A Word, Please: Vaccine

We know the word vaccine from sterile clinics, rolled-up sleeves, and childhood appointments. But long before French chemists cultivated it in laboratories, the word belonged to eighteenth-century English milkmaids who noticed something strange about their cows. It took a country doctor and a generous nineteenth-century tribute to turn a barnyard malady into a universal shield.

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We know the word vaccine from sterile clinics, rolled-up sleeves, and childhood appointments. But long before French chemists cultivated it in laboratories, the word belonged to eighteenth-century English milkmaids who noticed something strange about their cows. It took a country doctor and a generous nineteenth-century tribute to turn a barnyard malady into a universal shield.