Freeze-dried BCG vaccine, England, 1980-1985
The BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine is used to protect from tuberculosis. The vaccine was developed by French bacteriologists Albert Calmette (1863-1933) and Camille Guérin (1872-1961) at the Pasteur Institute, Lille, France, in 1921. The vaccine was successfully used in France but did not go into widespread use until after the Second World War. By freeze-drying the vaccines, the treatment can safely be transported over long distances and diluted when needed. Made by Evans Medical Ltd, the large glass bottle gives ten doses of the vaccine when diluted. It is shown here with a ten-dose bottle of the vaccine (1994-135 Pt5).
Object number:
1994-394 Pt3
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: tuberculosis
An infectious disease that is caused by a bacterium first identified by Robert Koch in 1882. The disease usually affects the lungs first, and is accompanied by a chronic cough.
Glossary: vaccine
A substance given to humans or animals to improve immunity from disease. A vaccine can sometimes contain a small amount of bacteria that is designed to stimulate the body's reaction to that particular disease. The first vaccine was developed in 1796 by Edward Jenner to prevent smallpox.
Glossary: BCG
Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a weakened strain of the tuberculosis bacteria, which is used as a vaccination against TB(. Developed in 1908, it was first used on humans in 1921.