Edward Jenner - Discoverer of Smallpox Vaccination

People were aware about smallpox for several centuries. They knew that a person who had suffered from smallpox once, would not get it again. Even during epidemics, such people remained unaffected. There was a cow disease called cowpox. In the west of England, people believed that dairymaids who had caught cowpox disease from their cows became immune to smallpox.

Jenner did more service than any person to control that menace of small pox by discovering the small pox vaccination.

Edward Jenner was born in 1749. his first interest subject was natural history, and later he studied medical science. Those days anyone who wanted to study medicine, had to undergo an apprenticeship under an experienced surgeon. Jenner however overcame this problem.

After completing his training at St. George Hospital London, Jenner went back to Berkeley in 1773 and begun his medical practice. In 1796 Jenner decided to conduct his experiment and took some fluid from a cowpox sore on dairy maid's finger. Then he infected this to an eight year old boy who had a mild attack of cowpox. Then after seven weeks Jenner took some fluid from the sore of a man suffering from small pox and injected it into the arm of the boy. The boy was not affected by small pox germs. This proved that he had become immune to small pox due to cowpox.

This great man died in 1823. today, Jenner is not with us his small pox vaccine will always be used for the welfare of the mankind.