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When I was younger, I vividly recall seeing a noticeable scar on my mother’s arm. It appears to be a ring of tiny indentations surrounding a larger indent in her skin, and it sits high up, near her shoulder.
I can’t recall why that particular thing caught my eye all those years ago, so don’t ask me. I only remember that it happened, but during the ensuing years, as is so frequently the case, I kind of forgot it existed.
It’s still in the same spot as before, so of course I didn’t forget it existed, but I did forget that I used to be captivated by the reason for it. Maybe I questioned my mom once, and she gave me an explanation. But I also forgot that if she did.
That is, until I happened to see the exact same scar, in the exact same location as my mother’s, one summer a few years ago while assisting an old woman off a train. It goes without saying that I was intrigued, but I was unable to question her about the cause of her scar because the train was about to thunder on to my destination.
When I phoned my mother instead, she told me that she had actually told me more than once—clearly my brain didn’t think the information was significant enough to remember—and that the renowned smallpox vaccination was the cause of her scar.
Smallpox is an infectious virus that used to frighten people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it kills an estimated three out of ten people during the most widespread outbreaks in the 20th century and causes a severe skin rash and fever. Numerous additional victims suffered disfigurement.
The smallpox virus was deemed “extinct” in the US in 1952 as a result of the vaccine’s successful and extensive use. In actuality, smallpox vaccinations were dropped from the list of standard immunizations in 1972.
However, all children received smallpox vaccines until the early 1970s, and the effects of these shots were evident. Consider it the first vaccine passport, if you will: a scar that served as a reminder to everyone that you had received a successful smallpox vaccination.
And sure enough, my mother—like almost everyone else in her age group—carries that exact scar.
What caused scarring from the smallpox vaccine?
Because of the body’s natural healing mechanism, the smallpox vaccine left scars. Unlike many other vaccines administered today, the vaccine itself was administered using a unique two-pronged needle.
To transfer the vaccine to the skin’s dermis (the layer beneath the epidermis), the person giving the shot made several punctures in the skin, as opposed to simply the one you typically get with modern immunizations.
Subsequently, the vaccine’s virus began to grow and produce circular lumps. The bumps eventually turned into vesicles, which are tiny blisters packed with fluid. Over time, they would burst and scab.
The iconic scar that we have discussed in this post is the outcome.
