science

Vaccine Act of 1813

Vaccine Act of 1813 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vaccine Act of 1813 rather than just read about it. In short: Vaccine Act of 1813 was an Act of the Twelfth Congress of the United States to encourage vaccination against smallpox. It was passed 27 February 1813 and repealed 4 May 1822.

Key takeaways

Vaccine Act of 1813 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vaccine Act of 1813 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vaccine Act of 1813 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vaccine Act of 1813 was an Act of the Twelfth Congress of the United States to encourage vaccination against smallpox. It was passed 27 February 1813 and repealed 4 May 1822. The Act was the first federal law concerning consumer protection and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Edward Jenner discovered smallpox vaccine in 1796, and hucksters quickly exploited the demand for vaccine by offering fraudulent versions. The Act made these provisions:

a federal agent charged with preserving genuine vaccine authority for the agent to distribute vaccine to any US citizen distribution of legitimate vaccine postage-free (franking privilege) The Act was repealed in 1822, and the authority to regulate vaccines given to the states. This repeal was the result of an 1821 outbreak of smallpox in North Carolina, which was traced to samples of smallpox, instead of vaccine, accidentally provided by Dr. James Smith while in the capacity of the federal agent charged with preserving and distributing genuine vaccine.

Text The Act is brief (as compared to modern legislation) and is therefore reproduced in its entirety here:

CHAP. XXXVII.—An Act to encourage Vaccination. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized to appoint an agent to preserve the genuine vaccine matter, and to furnish the same to any citizen of the United States, whenever it may be applied for, through the medium of the post-office; and such agent shall, previous to his entering upon the execution of the duties assigned to him by this act, and before he shall be entitled to the privilege of franking any letter or package as herein allowed, take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation, before some magistrate, and cause a certificate thereof to be filed in the general post-office: "I, A. B. do swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will faithfully use my best exertions to preserve the genuine vaccine matter, and to furnish the same to the citizens of the United States; and also, that I will abstain from every thing prohibited in relation to the establishment of the post-office of the United States." And it shall be the duty of the said agent to transmit to the several postmasters in the United States a copy of this act: and he shall also forward to them a public notice, directing how and where all application shall be made to him for vaccine matter. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all letters or packages not exceeding half an ounce in weight, containing vaccine matter, or relating to the subject of vaccination, and that alone, shall be carried by the United States' mail free of any postage, either to or from the agent who may be appointed to carry the provisions of this act into effect: Provided always, that the said agent before he delivers any letter for transmission by the mail, shall in his own proper handwriting, on the outside thereof, endorse the word "Vaccination," and thereto subscribe his name, and shall previously furnish the postmaster of the office where he shall deposit the same with a specimen of his signature; and if said agent shall frank any letter or package, in which shall be contained any thing relative to any subject other than vaccination, he shall, on conviction of every such offence, forfeit and pay a fine of fifty dollars, to be recovered in the same manner as other fines or violations of law establishing the post-office: Provided also, that the discharge of any agent, and the appointment of another in his stead, be at the discretion of the President of the United States.

APPROVED, February 27, 1813.

See also 1721 Boston smallpox outbreak 1738–1739 North Carolina smallpox epidemic 1770s Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic 1775–1782 North American smallpox epidemic 1837 Great Plains smallpox epidemic 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic

References

Resources "Chapter CLXXIX - An Act to Encourage Vaccination" [Acts passed at the first (and second) session(s) of the Twelfth Congress]. HathiTrust Digital Library. University of Michigan Law School. February 27, 1813. pp. 392–394, IXVIII–IXIX. "Chapter 502 [CLXXIX] - An Act to Encourage Vaccination" [Laws of the United States of America, from the 4th of March, 1789, to the 4th of March, 1815]. HathiTrust Digital Library. IV. John Bioren and W. John Duane: 508–509, 884, 911. 1816.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vaccine Act of 1813

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vaccine Act of 1813 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vaccine Act of 1813 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vaccine Act of 1813 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vaccine Act of 1813

In research: Vaccine Act of 1813 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vaccine Act of 1813 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vaccine Act of 1813 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 12th United States Congress, 1813 in the United States, February 1813, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vaccine Act of 1813 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Vaccine Act of 1813 in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is Vaccine Act of 1813 in simple terms?

Vaccine Act of 1813 was an Act of the Twelfth Congress of the United States to encourage vaccination against smallpox. It was passed 27 February 1813 and repealed 4 May 1822.

Why does Vaccine Act of 1813 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vaccine Act of 1813?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vaccine Act of 1813.