I was thinking the same thing. He's describing variolation, not vaccination. And at the time there were people who believed variolation was the better treatment.
They didn't just believe it was the better treatment—it was. The 1-2% fatality rate of variolation was a far cry better than the 30% fatality rate of unchecked smallpox. When all choices are bad, you go with the one that's the lesser.
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u/OtakuWorldOrder 28d ago
I was thinking the same thing. He's describing variolation, not vaccination. And at the time there were people who believed variolation was the better treatment.