NATS 1670 Lecture Notes - Edward Jenner, Poliomyelitis, Cowpox
25 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Viruses are the most common cause of acute infections in humans. What are viruses? http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=7o9jpyy44va: obligate intracellular parasites, they cannot perform metabolism on their own, viruses are simple darwinian machines. They survive because they make huge amount of mutants. Selection removes the non-fittest: many viral diseases can be viewed as a failure of the virus to adapt to its host. The origins of virology: a hieroglyphic found in 3700 bc, memphis ancient egypt. Typical clinical signs of paralytic poliomyelitis: ramesses v"s preserved mummy shows that he died of smallpox at about the age of 35 in 1143 bc, the chinese suffered from small pox in 1000 bc, china. They realized they can do something about it. 1519 a. d smallpox was transferred from europe to the americas: the year 1796. Edward jenner vaccinated a boy against smallpox boy, with material from a cowpox lesion: the year 1892.
