Indigenous vaccination practices?

May 8, 2011 3:17 PM

I remember reading something once about the concept of vaccines actually being originally developed by indigenous people. Google is failing me.

What I read is that certain indigenous tribes would somehow inoculate themselves against smallpox (I think) using people who had suffered an outbreak. Basically that the white pus filled sores on someones skin contain leukocytes and dead virus, and people would somehow inoculate themselves using this by consuming it or another way?

Does anybody have a source or more information on this? Also, I am interested in any other links about indigenous healing practices if you happen to have them on hand. Thanks!

posted by long haired child to Science & Nature (8 answers total)

The second paragraph of the introduction mentions insufflation inoculation and the introduction of pus or scab into the skin. A reference is also provided if you want to follow it. Not "native tribes" though, by the looks of things.
posted by Jehan at 3:24 PM on May 8, 2011

Seconding what Jehan said and adding a bit-- tl;dr is that the Chinese discovered variolation in the 10th century, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu brought it to the UK from Turkey in the early 1700s. The information probably came to Turkey by way of the Arabs, who also had trade routes to Northern Africa. It's likely that the practice then made its way across Africa, as Cotton Mather taught the technique to Boyleston (first variolater in America) after having heard about it from his slave Oneismus. Not necessarily indigenous origin in the sense I think you were looking for, but it certainly passed through a number of nonwhite hands before we got our grubby mitts on it.
posted by The White Hat at 3:45 PM on May 8, 2011

I haven't googled it or anything but I know when I was in Bali, I attended an informal lecture where they discussed ostracism of persons who had HIV/AIDS and how traditionally in the past, villagers would deliberately contaminate the well with the virus (or whatever) and people would drink it and become inoculated.

I'd say traditional healing of indigenous peoples could include even the current practices of Balinese healers who use various plants and methods to treat/cure injuries and illness. Very fascinating stuff!
posted by loquat at 4:02 PM on May 8, 2011

Oh, and by "the virus" I did not meant to imply it was HIV. I think it was more along the lines of leprosy or something..
posted by loquat at 4:16 PM on May 8, 2011

Some Observations on the New Method Of Receiving the Small Pox by Ingrafting or Inoculating. (Boston, 1721)
Benjamin Colman, (1673-1747)
posted by jon1270 at 4:27 PM on May 8, 2011

Also, this is worth listening to.
posted by jon1270 at 4:29 PM on May 8, 2011

The Speckled Monster covers the small pox stories of Lady Montagu and Boylston that The White Hat refers to above.
posted by gingerbeer at 6:02 PM on May 8, 2011

Lawrence Hill writes about this practice in his novel The Book of Negroes* (published as Someone Knows My Name in the US, Australia and New Zealand). The novel is narrated by a woman who was kidnapped at the age of 11 from her home in Africa and is eventually sold into slavery in South Carolina. While in South Carolina she is inoculated for smallpox by an older African slave using a method similar to what you describe. Hill researched the book very thoroughly, so it appears this part of the book was based on actual practice. (It's a very good novel, and I highly recommend it.)

*The original Canadian title comes from the name of a historical document that contains the names of slaves who fought for the British in the Civil War and departed New York on ships bound for British colonies; many came to settle in what would eventually become Canada.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:01 AM on May 9, 2011