Produced by Serena, Education Administration Apprentice in the School of Oncology
Yesterday was the start of Black History Month (the month itself is flawed, but I suppose we have to utilise it). Black History is British History and I feel that it is important to always be aware of our ancestors.
This year’s Black History month is even more powerful as it comes after a tumultuous few months following the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more individuals.
As we work in the NHS, we need to be aware of the Black individuals that were part of medicine and nursing who faced discrimination, racism and marginalisation. So every week, I will focus on a person who had a part to play in the making of modern medicine/healthcare.
Today, we remember Onesmius, an African slave who aided the vaccination of smallpox to Europe and subsequently curtailed the impact of smallpox in Boston in 1721. Onesimus explained the procedure of variolation to his ‘master’. This process involved extracting infective substance and in a controlled environment, inputting this substance into the cut of a healthy person – inoculation.
We all know Edward Jenner, we learnt him throughout school. However, practices of inoculation, early vaccination, existed in China, Africa, India and Turkey. “Without acknowledging the rich tapestry of how modern medicine has come to be; we risk exclusionary history”.
So, next time you get your flu jab, remember Onesmius.
Further Reading
Medicine has been so whitewashed that we’ve forgotten vaccination is a part of Black history