The History and Biography of Vaccines against Infectious
Diseases is a multi-authored book, written for an academic audience
but accessible to a general readership as well. The book examines
the human stories that underlie the development of vaccines against
infectious diseases. Each chapter traces the lineage of a vaccine
by examining the people behind the scientific hypotheses and
discoveries that led to vaccine breakthroughs. These stories are
firmly anchored in their historical context, as the "biography" of
a vaccine generally has its origins in a medical problem rooted
within a social context that subsequently engages scientists and
enlists others in the eventual solution. A prominent theme woven
throughout the book is the interdependence of incremental
scientific advances and investigators on one another and how such
advances ultimately led to practical, preventive solutions to major
public health problems in society. Additionally, the human aspect
of various pivotal events in the histories of specific vaccines are
illustrated this includes scientific and political hurdles and
details of clinical trial controversies. In this fashion the work
interweaves scientific themes, personal stories of those involved,
and the sociohistorical context in which they worked in a manner
that illustrates their inter-relatedness and provides the reader
with exciting accounts of these advances.
The history of vaccination parallels the history of human
scientific endeavor and illustrates a number of important precepts
common to all scientific inquiry: major advances generally stem
from incremental progress that itself derives from the accumulation
of ordered, experimental observations synthesized from a variety of
fields; landmark discoveries generally do not occur in a vacuum but
are instead based on expanding pre-existing scientific thought;
advances in technology inherently drive advances in science, and
both are frequently products of specific unmet needs. Perhaps most
importantly, however, is that the history of vaccines and
vaccination really represents the individual and collective stories
of inquisitive minds, thought leaders, risk-takers and those that
stood "on the shoulders of giants" to achieve success in their
field.
About the Editor:
Andrew W. Artenstein, MD, FACP, FIDSA, is Physician-in-Chief in
the Department of Medicine at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. He
is Director of the Center for Biodefense and Emergining Pathogens,
and is also an Associate Professor of Medicine and Community Health
at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
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