[Vaccines outside of Europe. Light and shadow of a victory]. / La vaccine hors d'Europe. Ombres et lumières d'une victoire.

In the beginning of the 19th century, vaccination against smallpox spread rapidly in Europe and out of Europe. Although most statesmen eagerly adopted the vaccine, populations displayed mixed attitudes, ranging from mild enthusiasm to resistance. The article illustrates the social response with examples drawn from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Brazil. This analysis puts in sharp focus the crucial importance of a factor for the managers of public health: the adhesion of populations.

[A scientific object interlinking the biological and social sciences: the immune system]. / Un objet scientifique à la charnière des sciences biologiques et sociales: le système immunitaire.

Immunology gained legitimacy when it became the science of the immune system, a definition that announced the existence of a previously unknown body function. The very concept of immune system goes beyond the biological, offering opportunities for a renewed dialogue between biological science and the human sciences. This paper discusses the manifold viewpoints regarding the immune system.