EDWARD JENNER.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4545, 31 March 1923, Page 3

EDWARD JENNER.

C 7-19—1823). To-day (Friday, January 26th) the whole medical world is paying humble tribute to the memory of a Gloucestershire lad, who became a great benefactor of the human race. Exactly 100 years ago to-day died Edward Jenner —the discoverer of vaccination. By his great discovery he “has saved millions of lives from the terrible disease—the smallpox. The following brief sketch of his life and work is from Jenner Centenary Number of “ British Medical Journal,” issued on May 23rd, 1896, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first vaccination. Edward Jenner, the-son of Rev. Stephen Jenner, Rector of Rockfa impton, and Vicar of Berkeley, was born at the latter place on May 17th, 1749. His mother was daughter of Rev. H. Head, a former Vicar of Berkeley. His first school was at Wotton-under-Edge, where he was under the care of Rev. Mr. Clissold. At about the age of_l3, he began his professional education under Mr. Daniel Ludlow, of Sodbury, and from there he entered as a student at St. Georges Hospital. At 21 he was under tne famous John Hunter. His great love for natural history nearly robbed medical science of Jenner’s discovery, because in 1771 he was offered the post of Naturalist in Captain Cook’s second expedition. He declined the post and settled down to country practice in his native town of Berkeley. The subject of inoculation seems to have first attracted Jenner’s attention when he was a pupil at Sodbury. A young girl came there for advice, and on/smallpox being mentioned she exclaimed, ‘‘l cannot take that disease, for I have had cowpox. This statement was uppermost in his mind. He found that the opinion of the young girl at Sodbury was a general one amongst the milkers in and around Berkeley. Between this and 1796 was spent in experimental inquiries, and on May 14th of that year he carried out his first inoculation. The subject was a boy about 8 years old, named James Phipps, and the matter was taken from the hand of Sarah Nelmes, a dairymaid, who had become infected by her master’,s cows. This was an anxious time for Jenner. On July Ist mattery discharge from a case of smallpox was directly inserted into the boy; but no disease followed. This was a triumph for Jenner. The idea of vaccination quickly spread. Though honours fell thickly upon him at home, his reputation was still greater abroad. With Napoleon he was a great favourite. “Ah,” said Napoleon on one occasion,” we can refuse nothing to that man. ” It was hardly to be expected that so great an advance in protective medicine could be made without opposition. Misstatement and misrepresentation Jenner had to put up with and combat. He was abused and.caricatured. Many sermons were preached to show the wickedness of vaccination, and one preacher went so far as to try to demonstrate that the cowpox inoculation was anti-Christ. He was the author of many learned works and was the recipient of many honours and meda s. His many statues are to be seen both at home and abroad. A fine statue by Sievier is at the West end of Gloucester Cathedral. He died- on January 26th,1823, and was buried in the Berkeley Church. M.L.B.