WI: Galen and Inoculation

Galen was at his peak during the Antonine Plague, and for the sake of discussion, let's assume that it was indeed smallpox that was the culprit for the plague. Galen had managed to figure out that there were tiny particles, or "Bad seeds", so small that they can not be seen, which carried infection (bacteria and viruses-that conclusion would not be acceptedagain until the 18th century), so I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility that he could create an inoculation for smallpox.

Could Galen have created a smallpox inoculation? If so, what would the effects be, keeping in mind this is in the middle of the Antonine Plague.
 
The Chinese would make a small cut in the skin of a healthy person and insert a small quantity of ground scab from a plague victim. It was reasonably effective in immunizing people from the plague. The fatality rate would be unacceptable today however.
 
The Chinese would make a small cut in the skin of a healthy person and insert a small quantity of ground scab from a plague victim. It was reasonably effective in immunizing people from the plague. The fatality rate would be unacceptable today however.

Would it be feasible for Galen to figure this out and try it?
 
Would it be feasible for Galen to figure this out and try it?
Moreover, afaik, this only works for smallpox. It doesn't, I believe, work for any other disease. So him coming at it from a 'micro-demons' exist idea won't be a productive route.

Even if he DID guess there were 'micro-thingies' why would introducing them to a healthy person make said person immune?

I think you're really trying too hard.

You're best bet, imo, is to go the Edward Jenner route - hear about a peasant/foreign practice and try it out.

Having an Indian physician come west might be a better way of introducing the practice.
 
In the late 18th century, when Jenner "discovered" vaccination using cowpox, instead of inoculation/variolation there had been significant advances in medicine over Galen's days. These included a much better understanding of anatomy, some basics on physiology, and the beginnings of moving away from the "humoral" theory. Having said that, there is no reason that Galen could not import or try inoculation, and since Greece had more of a dairy farm culture than India or China, if using smallpox works trying cowpox might not be such a stretch, especially if Galen or any of his pupils notices those who got cowpox never got smallpox.

Probably the biggest obstacle to this is the fact that the concept of experimentation/trials was simply not around in the ancient or even medieval world - "great thinkers" spun theories, usually tying "everything" together in some grand scheme, rather than experimentation/trial and error.

The actual technical ability to prevent smallpox with vaccination is no different in ancient Greece and 18th century England. It is worth noting that even though smallpox variolation and later vaccination were shown to be effective, why they worked and the development of the germ theory of disease did not come from controlling smallpox. While Galen developing vaccination MIGHT bring on thinking that might lead to a germ theory, there are many hurdles to overcome, intellectual and technical. You may or may not see workable germ theory before Pasteur & Koch, or may not.
 
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