Special Collections Houses Rare Edition of Vaccine Origins

Special Collections Houses Rare Edition of Vaccine Origins

As we all anxiously await the outcome of ongoing clinical trials seeking a COVID-19 vaccine, Carnegie Mellon University scholars, students, faculty, and staff might be surprised to learn that the Posner Collection holds a first-edition copy of the foundation text of modern immunology and vaccination: Edward Jenner’s "An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae, a Disease Discovered in Some of the Western Counties of England" (London, 1798). In his scholarly blog post, Dr. Samuel Lemley, Curator of Special Collections, examines the item.