Military Chat

Hi - Does anyone have any idea what type of vaccinations a new Army recruit would receive in 1894?

On my grandfather's army medical card I see he received 3 (re)vaccinations but the word FAILED is written underneath.

He had received 4 vaccinations in infancy and then they re-vaccinated him for 3.

Puzzling :-S

Here are the vaccines available in the 1800s

Children were being vaccinated for smallpox at this time, it was compulsory.

1879 First vaccine for cholera
1885 First vaccine for rabies by Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux
1890 First vaccine for tetanus

These 2 are later than 1894 but wonder if they may have been used to see if they worked - wouldn't be the first time British servicemen being used as guinea pigs.


1896 First vaccine for typhoid fever
1897 First vaccine for bubonic plague

My mother was in the ATS in WW2 and at the top of her left arm was a square of 4 smallpox vaccinations, 3 from her army service.

I served just over 5 years in WRAF. In that time I had 2 tests to see if I needed a TB jab. I had Polio drops, tetanus, typhoid and paratyphoid on 3 occasions and German measles injection. I did not go out of Europe so didn't have any of the ones for distant shores. Have arm will jab. :-D

Thank you PatinCyprus (beautiful island). How sad that whichever vac it was he failed. They checked him out in base hospital (not admitted) but he was discharged from the army after only 3 months. :-(

Thank you again for the information

It would be for smallpox - even in the 1960s, everyone had a smallpox vaccination scar abt 1 cm across on their upper arm.

Tetanus and rabies vaccinations can be given after the infextion, but before the disease is established. Plague vaccinations are rare, even today - like in the SW USA where the disease is endemic.

I could see Cholera and typhoid vaccinations for soldiers going to high risk areas.

Thanks mgnv. The army didn't discharge him I later found out, he had paid to be discharged. This was permissible during the first 3 months attestation period. So whatever it was he obviously didn't feel it was possible to follow an army career.

I had a yellow fever jab before going to the Middle East in 1967. Bob

Thanks Bob :-D