Edward Jenner

• smallpox


  biggest killer of the 18th century. 40% mortality rate. frighteningly disfiguring and extremely contagious. no cure
• how did people protect themselves from smallpox in the 18th century

  inoculation- a small dose of the disease that causes antibodies to be generated, creating a better immunity against the disease. however, it was expensive (£20) and had a 2-3% death rate. you would also have had to isolate in a pest house- expensive
• who was Edward Jenner

  country doctor from Gloucestershire. 8 years old during an outbreak in his village- was inoculated. 1770- studied in London with surgeon John Hunter who told students to observe and carry out their own experiments. motivated to find alternative to inoculation after experiencing it himself
• resistance from milkmaids


  milkmaids declined Jenner's offer to inoculate them as they were already said to be immune- they deliberately infected each other with cowpox. to get round this, he paid his gardener £10 to experiment on her son, James Phipps
• Jenner's experiment


  Jenner infected Phipps with a small amount of cowpox from Sarah Nelmes' cow pox pores. weeks later he infected the boy with smallpox and he did not catch the diesease
• reaction of Royal Society


  did not trust his findings as he studied at a university in Scotland (not a top uni) and was only a family doctor in Gloucestershire
• international impact


  Napoleon had all of his soldiers vaccinated. President Thomas Jefferson of USA sent a letter thanking Jenner for his discovery & said he would recommend it to his country
• government


  1802- £10,000 for clinic in London before laws enforcing vaccine

  1852- vaccine was made compulsory. public vaccinators were free and accessible

  1871- fined if children did not have vaccine.
• smallpox by 1980


  eradicated in England
• opposition to Jenner


  church believed using animal infection in medicine was against God's will and inoculators did not want to lose business. opposition weakened after the support of the government
• why was Jenner unable to explain why the vaccine worked

  because germs had not been discovered yet
• smallpox


  biggest killer of the 18th century. 40% mortality rate. frighteningly disfiguring and extremely contagious. no cure
• how did people protect themselves from smallpox in the 18th century

  inoculation- a small dose of the disease that causes antibodies to be generated, creating a better immunity against the disease. however, it was expensive (£20) and had a 2-3% death rate. you would also have had to isolate in a pest house- expensive
• who was Edward Jenner

  country doctor from Gloucestershire. 8 years old during an outbreak in his village- was inoculated. 1770- studied in London with surgeon John Hunter who told students to observe and carry out their own experiments. motivated to find alternative to inoculation after experiencing it himself
• resistance from milkmaids


  milkmaids declined Jenner's offer to inoculate them as they were already said to be immune- they deliberately infected each other with cowpox. to get round this, he paid his gardener £10 to experiment on her son, James Phipps
• Jenner's experiment


  Jenner infected Phipps with a small amount of cowpox from Sarah Nelmes' cow pox pores. weeks later he infected the boy with smallpox and he did not catch the diesease
• reaction of Royal Society


  did not trust his findings as he studied at a university in Scotland (not a top uni) and was only a family doctor in Gloucestershire
• international impact


  Napoleon had all of his soldiers vaccinated. President Thomas Jefferson of USA sent a letter thanking Jenner for his discovery & said he would recommend it to his country
• government


  1802- £10,000 for clinic in London before laws enforcing vaccine

  1852- vaccine was made compulsory. public vaccinators were free and accessible

  1871- fined if children did not have vaccine.
• smallpox by 1980


  eradicated in England
• opposition to Jenner


  church believed using animal infection in medicine was against God's will and inoculators did not want to lose business. opposition weakened after the support of the government
• why was Jenner unable to explain why the vaccine worked

  because germs had not been discovered yet