Theconcept of vaccinesfirst came from Chinesemedicine

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On July 15,2018,the State Drug Administration of China issued a notice stating that the production records for freeze-dried human rabies vaccine manufactured by Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.,could be faked.The company’s vaccine is again the subject of quality concerns after a November 2017 disclosure that the vaccine titer index did not meet requirements.This newest incident has aroused widespread concern,and both children’s parents and themediahaveexpressed their opinions.

It is well-known that the vaccine is a product of modern medicine.It was born at the hands of the famous European microbiologist Louis Pasteur,who discovered the anti-epidemic effects of the “vaccine”through bacterial cultivation in the 1880s.After several efforts,Pasteur successively overcame rabies,cholera,and gangrene,making milestone contributionsto human progress.

However,a medical scientist in ancient China explored the mechanisms of vaccines as early as 1700 years ago.He was Ge Hong,the famous Taoist teacher in the DongJin Dynasty of China.His book,Zhouhoubeijifang,reported on rabies and proposed the following therapeutic method:after being bitten by a dog,kill it,and put the brain of this mad dog on the wound to prevent the onset of rabies.This can be considered the inception of the vaccine concept.

The mechanism for disease prevention by a vaccine is induction of the body’s immune system to produce antibodies when a small amount of the attenuated pathogen is injected into the body;these antibodies will then protect against the corresponding pathogen.Louis Pasteur’s vaccine was also derived from the brain of a sick rabbit and shared similarities with Ge Hong’s treatment.Unfortunately,in an age in which science and technology productivity were at an extremely low level,Ge Hong’s discovery remained only a personal experience,as it was impossible to produce the vaccine at that time.It isamazing that Ge Hong formulated thisconcept in 300 A.D.,morethan 1,500 yearsearlier than Louis Pasteur.

Chinese medicine has made an important contribution to the development of vaccines.Ethnic medicines worldwide have their own characteristics that warrant further exploration of the historical record,as well as the aid of modern scienceand technology.