The Introduction of Edward Jenner’s Smallpox Vaccination to Tibet in the Early 19th Century

Abstract

Before its eradication in 1979, smallpox was considered to be the greatest killer in the world. Therefore, over time, people developed a variety of methods of prevention and treatment for smallpox. The study of smallpox is a well-established field and many scholars have written on the subject; however, as far as I am aware there is almost no scholarship regarding smallpox in Tibet. Thus, it is widely believed that Tibetans knew very little about smallpox and that the Jennerian vaccination technique was not introduced in Tibet until as late as 1944. This, however, is not the case: during the course of Tibetan history, Tibetans not only knew about smallpox but also developed various methods of prevention and treatment for the disease. As a literary society, Tibetans also produced a vast quantity of medical works, as well as historical and biographical accounts in relation to smallpox; in Tibet, as elsewhere, medical knowledge was constantly evolving. This article sets out to show how a Tibetan physician named Tsenpo Nomon Han (1789–1839) introduced Edward Jenner’s vaccination technique to Tibet in the early 19th century.