Edward Jenner Caden and Meredith!!!!
SMALLPOX -10,000 B.C -Introduced to Americas by Spanish conquistadors and African slaves -Smallpox survivors became immune -Nursed the sick -Inoculation: matter from smallpox pustule used to infect someone not yet immune -Often led to spread of other diseases
Symptoms of Smallpox -rash that develops into abscesses filled with liquid -chills -severe back pain -abdominal pain -vomiting -high fever
Jenner’s EARLY LIFE -Born 1749 Berkeley, orphaned at age 5, lived with brother -1764 surgeon George Harkwicke apprenticeship -Surgeon John Hunter in London at 21 -Studied natural science for 2 years -Returned to Berkeley to study medicine
SEARCH FOR CURE -Became interested in cowpox during Harwicke apprenticeship -Saw milkmaids rarely caught smallpox, but almost always caught cowpox -Disease found most commonly in milkmaids as it is transferred between species -Hypothesized could intentionally infect people with cowpox to protect them
EXPERIMENT -Used matter from a milkmaid’s cowpox lesions to immunize a young boy -Nine day fever, but soon felt much better -Infected with matter from a smallpox lesion a few months later, no signs of illness -Concluded he was correct, smallpox could be protected against by being infected by cowpox -Titled cure “vaccination” after latin word for cowpox
SPREAD OF VACCINATION -Initially rejected by Royal Society 1797 -Published findings, met with mixed reviews -Practice eventually adopted by various surgeons in 1799, others followed until vaccination was accepted across the world
EFFECTS OF VACCINATION -Safer and more reliable than traditional inoculation -Despite initial rejection, vaccination soon became widely used, saving many lives -Eventually became compulsory in several countries -Future scientists modeled vaccines for numerous other diseases after Jenning’s -15 vaccinations before age 18 now
BIBLIOGRAPHY Riedel, Stefan. “Edward Jenner and the History of Smallpox and Vaccination.” Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center), Baylor Health Care System, Jan. 2005, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200696/. “Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine.” Edward Jenner (1749-1823), Science Museum, www.broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/edwardjenner.
BIBLIOGRAPHY “Jenner Tests Smallpox Vaccine.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 5ADAD, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jenner-tests-smallpox-vaccine. “Edward Jenner and the Development of the First Modern Vaccine.” VBI Vaccines Inc., EVLP Platform, 22 Dec. 2015, www.vbivaccines.com/wires/edward-jenner-and-the-first-modern-vaccine/.