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First vaccine for plague
Bubonic plague, the most common form, is characterized by very high fever, chills, prostration, delirium, hemorrhaging of the small capillaries under the skin, and enlarged, painful lymph nodes -
Insulin first used to treat diabetes
Many, but not all, of the symptoms of diabetes can be controlled by the administration of insulin. The forms of insulin available early in the 20th century had to be injected frequently because they were quick-acting -
First vaccine for diphtheria
begins as a soreness of the throat with fever. -
First vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough)
an infectious disease of the respiratory mucous membrane, caused by Bordetella pertussis, characterized by a series of short, convulsive coughs followed by a deep inspiration accompanied by a whooping sound. -
First vaccine for tuberculosis
contagious, wasting disease caused by any of several mycobacteria. The most common form of the disease is tuberculosis of the lungs, but the intestines, bones and joints, the skin, and the genitourinary, lymphatic, and nervous systems may also be affected. -
First vaccine for tetanus
The tetanus toxin, one of the most potent poisons known, acts on the motor nerves and causes muscle spasm at the site of infection and in other areas of the body. The most frequent symptom is stiffness of the jaw (lockjaw) and facial muscles. Difficulty in breathing and severe convulsions may ensue. The mortality rate is very high, especially in the very young and the aged; overall it is about 40% -
First vaccine for yellow fever
acute infectious disease endemic in tropical Africa and many areas of South America. Yellow fever is caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which breeds in stagnant water near human habitations. -
First vaccine for typhus
any of a group of infectious diseases caused by microorganisms classified between bacteria and viruses, known as rickettsias. Typhus diseases are characterized by high fever and an early onset of rash and headache. -
First vaccine for influenza
highly contagious disease caused by a virus; formerly known as the grippe. There are three types of the virus, designated A, B, and C, but only types A and B cause more serious contagious infections. Influenza is difficult to diagnose in the absence of an epidemic, since it resembles many common respiratory ailments. It can be distinguished from a cold, however, by sudden fever, prostration, weakness, and sometimes severe muscular aches and pains. Stomach and intestinal symptoms, such as nausea. -
First vaccine for measles
highly contagious disease of young children, caused by a filterable virus and spread by droplet spray from the nose, mouth, and throat of individuals in the infective stage. -
First vaccine for pneumonia
cute infection of one or both lungs that can be caused by a bacterium, usually Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus; see streptococcus), or by a virus, fungus, or other organism. The causal organisms reach the lungs through the respiratory passages
