Engraving of St Pancras Smallpox and Inoculation Hospital

Engraving that shows a scene from the Smallpox and Inoculation Hospital at St. Pancras by cartoon satirist, James Gillray, 12 June, 1802. [Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]

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  • What two things do you notice about the people who have been vaccinated?
  • Why are they portrayed in this way?
  • How is the doctor, often assumed to be Edward Jenner, shown in the cartoon?
  • What is the significance of the oil painting shown on the wall?
  • What does the caption of the cartoon suggest about vaccination?
  • What does the scene infer about attitudes towards vaccination?