As a child, I noticed a distinct scar on my mother’s arm, a ring of small indents around a larger one. I forgot about it over the years, until one day, I saw the exact same scar on an elderly woman. Curious, I called my mom, who reminded me that the scar was from the smallpox vaccine.
Smallpox, a deadly disease, was eradicated in the U.S. by 1952 thanks to widespread vaccination. The vaccine left a noticeable scar, caused by a special two-pronged needle that created bumps, blisters, and scabs. My mother’s scar, like many others of her generation, was a sign of successful vaccination.
