Bottle of tetanus vaccine, 1941.
Image number: 10307546
Tetanus, or 'lockjaw', is the result of a neurotoxin produced by the widespread bacterium 'clostridium tetani' when it is allowed to multiply in conditions where there is little or no oxygen, such as in deep puncture wounds. The tetanus vaccine is a form of active immunisation, meaning that the body is stimulated to produce its own defences, in the form of antibodies or, in this case, antitoxin.
- Image number:
- 10307546
- Credit:
- Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
- Date taken:
- 29 October 2003 22:43
- Image rights:
- Science Museum
