Edward Jenner's Cowpox Vaccine

Edward Jenner was born on May 17, 1749 in Berkeley, England, the youngest of six children. His father, a clergyman, died when Jenner was only five years old; subsequently, Jenner was raised by his older brother who was also a clergyman. Jenner had a love for nature that stayed with him throughout his life. At the age of 13, Jenner was apprenticed to a nearby surgeon in Chipping Sodbury for eight years. Throughout his apprenticeship, Jenner acquired a solid understanding of medical and surgical practice. At the age of 21, he went to London and became the student of John Hunter, a famous surgeon in London. They became good friends up until Hunter's death in 1793. John Hunter had a large influence on Jenner and gave him the advice, “Why think [i.e., speculate]—why not try the experiment?”. After Jenner's studies in London, he returned …show more content…
Also, the cowpox vaccine was not very easy to get access, preserve, or transmit. There were still biological factors that produced the immunity that were still not understood, but despite all of the errors, the death rate from smallpox dropped dramatically. Jenner received many recognitions worldwide including a letter from Thomas Jefferson thanking him for his discovery, but Jenner did not try to make himself rich through his breakthrough. He devoted so much time to the vaccine that his practice at home and personal life suffered greatly. He was given a sum of £10,000 in 1802 by parliament and a further sum of £20,000 in 1806. Before Edward Jenner, populations were devastated by the deadly disease known as smallpox, but thanks to his discoveries, in 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated. By the time of his death, Jenner's vaccination was used throughout Britain, it was also made available to all by law. Thanks to Edward Jenner's discovery, many people were saved from