For centuries, smallpox devastated humanity, killing millions and leaving many scarred. In 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated after a global campaign lasting over 20 years, marking the first elimination of a highly dangerous infectious disease. The development of the smallpox vaccine, from early variolation to modern immunology, has served as a model for inducing long-lasting immunity, secondary immunity, cross-protection, and interactions with the body's microbiota to enhance immune responses. These insights continue to guide vaccine development and immunological research, aiding in the fight against infectious diseases and improving global public health. This book explores the discoveries about the immune system influenced by vaccine development, highlighting the smallpox vaccine's enduring legacy and its testament to the power of immunology and vaccination in disease prevention.
A.J. Russo did his undergraduate at Hobart College in Geneva, US, has an MS and PhD in Experimental Pathology from Roswell Park Memorial Institute (A division of SUNY Buffalo) in Buffalo, US. He did his post-doctoral research as a Staff Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the Department of Dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, US. He is a retired full professor of biology and research scientist and is currently the Research Director of the Mensah Research Institute in Warrenville, Illinois, US. His research began in the field of cancer immunology, then over the past 20 years he has focused on using immunochemistry to study the biochemistry of neurobehavioral disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and anxiety. He has written more than a dozen novels and published more than 50 research papers.
