EDWARD JENNER

EDWARD JENNER

(1749 – 1823)

Today we have number of life saving Vaccines for several diseases. These vaccines are produced on Jenner’s theory. Edward Jenner was a British Physician who established the practice of vaccination. He is the discoverer of small pox Vacination. Small pox is fully eradicated. This was a dreadful disease 250 years ago. Usually people suffering from it died. Those who survived would have become ugly or blind. Jenner found vaccination for prevention of small pox.

Jenner was born on May 17, 1749 at Berkely. He studied medical science, while he under went training under a surgeon, he observed in 1766 milk maids once ‘infected with cow pox developed a life long immunity to small pox. Cow pox is a disease of cows. One who milks a cow suffering from this disease can get it. After completing his training Jenner began his medical practice in 1773. he ascertained that cow pox protects from small pox only when cow pox is introduced at a particular stage. In may 1796, he inoculated an 8 year old boy with fulid from cowpox listers. Two months later, he inoculated the boy with live active small pox virus but the disease did not follow. Nobody took Jenner’s experiment seriously. Few practioners believed that cowpox and small pox were two different diseases some people made adverse remarks stating that injecting a fluid from a cow into the human blood is a dreadful act. But Jenner ignored them. Actually, Jenner’s was the first successful immunizing procedure against any disease. Jenner won world wide admiration for his discovery. He was awarded by British parliament. He also made further discoveries about animals. But he devoted his whole life on fighting against small pox.

Jenner died in 1823 at Berkely, until 1881, the cow pox vaccine was the only inoculating material available. To day innumerable vaccines have been developed and they are being made effective. The principle of vaccine has been extended to prevent fertility.