1. Jefferson’s Impact on the Spread of the Smallpox Vaccine
Alex Clagett
History Seminar 395

2. Overview Thesis Historical Context Key Points of Paper Conclusions
Success and Struggles with Research
Sources

3. Thesis
Thomas Jefferson worked with other scientists and doctors of the eighteenth century to publicize the positive results of inoculation, in order to urge other Americans to accept the vaccine, and, together with Benjamin Waterhouse and Edward Jenner, to advance the knowledge about the disease and find the cure to smallpox.  

4. Historical Context Outbreaks in Colonial America
During the period of 1699 to 1799 there were 12 Smallpox epidemics in the city of Boston.
Mortality rate
Smallpox had a thirty to fifty percent fatality rate.
How was Smallpox prevented
Isolation
Not an effective form of prevention

5. Smallpox Spread through direct contact with the virus
Air droplets
Symptoms of Smallpox
raised rash on the face and forehead, sores filled with pustules on inside of the mouth, fatigue, fever, headache, and sore throat
How does Smallpox actually kill?
Evades auto immune responses and causes vital organs to shut down
Inoculation

8. Thomas Jefferson’s involvement
1782 – Jefferson undergoes inoculation
Why is he interested in finding a cure for Smallpox?
His active support for the smallpox vaccine
Vaccinated his family, slaves and neighbors
Jefferson acted as a facilitator of the vaccine and information regarding Smallpox
Benjamin Waterhouse
First person in America to obtain the cowpox vaccine from Edward Jenner

9. Jefferson’s Improvement to the Smallpox Vaccine
Jefferson sent live matter from Monticello to Dr. Gannt in Washington, DC
Dr. Gannt performs two trials which are unsuccessful
Jefferson wrote to Waterhouse asking for another shipment of the virus. But this time he requested that Waterhouse, “Put the matter into a phial of the smallest size, well corked, & immersed in a larger one filled with water & well corked.”

10. Success and Struggles Wide array of correspondences
Use of online journals – JSTOR
JSTOR allowed me to find multiple journal articles and book reviews. The journal article that gave me the most information regarding the historical context of Smallpox in the 18th century was “Boston’s Historic Smallpox Epidemic” by Amalie Kass, 2012 article.

11. Sources
Thomas Jefferson: Scientist by Edwin T Martin was used as reference and led me to many primary source documents
JSTOR allowed me to find multiple journal articles and book reviews. The journal article that gave me the most information regarding the historical context of Smallpox in the 18th century was “Boston’s Historic Smallpox Epidemic” by Amalie Kass, article.
Jefferson’s involvement with the epidemic of smallpox and his encouragement of the vaccine are found in Byrd Leavell’s article “Thomas Jefferson and Smallpox Vaccination.” Leavell gives an analysis of primary documents which were mostly letters, he mentions that Malone does not go into too much detail about Jefferson’s role in finding a vaccine for smallpox. ​