The period of Enlightment knew great progress in the field of epidemiology! Contagious diseases were during the 17th century still one of the most important causes of death and took a great deal of lives in many areas and cities. In 1721 inoculation (with human pox) was tried out for the first time. This technique that brought along a great deal of risks was slowly going to be replaced by the harmless vaccination with cowpox, first applied by the English doctor Edward Jenner in 1796. However, people reacted hesitant towards this revolutionary breakthrough: many feared and joked that they would turn into a half-man/half-cow sort of monster a bit like the minotaur :) In any case, it was one of main factors of the demographic explosion in Europe in the late 18th and 19th century!