A History of Saving Lives
Mehzebin Adam, curator of the British Red Cross Museum and Archives, explains how vaccination saved our ancestors’ lives
Many of our ancestors lived in fear of losing a loved one to a contagious disease. In the 18th century alone, an estimated 60 million people died from smallpox in Europe. During the 20th century, it killed around 300 million people globally.
In 1718 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu introduced variolation, but it was not without risk. However, in 1796 Edward Jenner discovered the safer method of vaccination to provide protection against smallpox.
Vaccination soon became standard practice for preventing smallpox, and the World Health Organisation officially declared smallpox eradicated in 1980. The discovery of the smallpox vaccine also led to the development of many more life-saving vaccines, significantly reducing the rates of other diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus.
Since it was founded in 1870, the British Red Cross has been caring for the sick and wounded. In 1919, the improvement of public health was added to its objectives. During the Second World War, British Red Cross volunteers helped give diphtheria vaccines to families evacuated from their homes. Following a smallpox outbreak in Glasgow in 1950, they assisted NHS staff in mass vaccination centres, vaccinating an estimated 250,000 people in 12 days.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the British Red Cross has supported the most vulnerable people in the UK and overseas. Some of the essential work includes delivering food and medicine, making sure refugees and people seeking asylum are safe, and providing an emotional support helpline. Just as vaccines have saved lives in the past, they are vital in the fight against Covid-19 today. The work of the British Red Cross this year includes supporting the NHS to vaccinate millions of people. As the vaccine roll-out continues across the country, there is hope on the horizon.