In fact, to this day no one knows where the virus that eradicated smallpox ultimately came from. But it may also never have had anything to do with cows at all. Of course, the new technique did not convey the essence of bovine into innocent people – cowpox was just a normal virus, and over the coming centuries, it would drive smallpox to extinction. The thing is, the early vaccine sceptics had got it all wrong. One prominent advocate suggested vaccinated women might start fancying bulls. Among the more ludicrous claims was the suggestion that vaccinated children had begun developing bovine features, such as the blotches on dairy cows, or that it risked them eventually having oxen-like thoughts. In particular, these breakaway physicians were convinced that the "bestial humour" – the cowpox virus – had no place within the human body. But it didn't take long for the first ever vaccine sceptics to pop up.
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