Variolation, also known as inoculation, is a historical method of protecting against smallpox by deliberately infecting individuals with a small amount of the virus. However, there are other terms that are commonly used as synonyms for variolation. These include "arm-to-arm inoculation", "Oriental practice", and "inoculative vaccination". The process involved taking material from a smallpox pustule and putting it into a small cut in the arm of someone who had not had smallpox. This process was carried out in different parts of the world for centuries before Edward Jenner introduced vaccination. Although the word "variolation" may not be as common today, it remains an important part of the history of medicine and the development of vaccines.