Nasal variolation (China)

What it is

Dried, powdered smallpox scabs were blown into the noses of healthy children to induce a mild form of the disease and immunise them. The practice spread through China in the 17th century, and Emperor Kangxi imposed it on his family.

Yu Tianchi (1727) places it in the Longqing reign (1567-1572); the first reliable description is by Zhang Lu (1695). Song-era legends lack support. Indian and Ottoman skin inoculation may have been independent.

What it led to

• immunisation against smallpox in East Asia
• spread of inoculation to Russia and Turkey

Made possible

• Variolation (smallpox inoculation)1721

Links

Sources✓ verified 2026-09-23

• https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/10/26-0729_article
• https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-1339-5_2