Edward Jenner

Lore & Background

Edward Jenner was born on 17 May 1749 in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, as the eighth of nine children. His father, the Reverend Stephen Jenner, was the vicar of Berkeley. Jenner was inoculated by variolation for smallpox as a child. At age 13, he was apprenticed for seven years to Daniel Ludlow, a surgeon. In 1770, he became apprenticed in surgery and anatomy under John Hunter at St George's Hospital, London. Returning to his native countryside by 1773, Jenner became a successful family doctor and surgeon. In 1792, he obtained the degree of MD from the University of St Andrews.

Jenner married Catherine Kingscote in March 1788; they had three children. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1788 following his study of the cuckoo's brood parasitism, describing how the newly hatched cuckoo pushes host eggs and chicks out of the nest. Jenner also formed the Fleece Medical Society and contributed papers on medical subjects. In 1821, he was appointed physician to King George IV, and was also made mayor of Berkeley and justice of the peace.

Reader's Guide

Jenner's work on the smallpox vaccine marked a turning point in medical history. In his time, smallpox killed around 10% of the global population, with rates as high as 20% in towns and cities. On 14 May 1796, Jenner tested his hypothesis by inoculating eight-year-old James Phipps with pus from cowpox blisters from milkmaid Sarah Nelmes. Phipps later showed no sign of infection when challenged with variolous material. Jenner's findings were published in 1798 in his Inquiry into the Variolae vaccinae known as the Cow Pox. The terms vaccine and vaccination derive from his term Variolae vaccinae. Jenner's understanding of animal biology played a large role in his experiment, and his work is said to have saved more lives than any other man. In 2002, he was named in the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Did You Know?

• Jenner was among the first modern scholars to describe the brood parasitism of the cuckoo, noting the baby cuckoo has a depression in its back to cup eggs and chicks.
• Jenner was appointed physician to King George IV in 1821.
• The cow Blossom, from which Sarah Nelmes caught cowpox, had its hide hung on the wall of St George's Medical School library.
• Jenner served as worshipful master of Royal Berkeley Lodge of Faith and Friendship from 1812 to 1813.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I am not surprised that men are not thankful to me; but I wonder that they are not grateful to God for the good which he has made me the instrument of conveying to my fellow-creatures." — Edward Jenner "A sincere acquiescence in the dispensations of Providence will check discomposure of mind beyond any thing. It will produce a calm in the midst of a storm." — Edward Jenner "The highest powers in our nature are our sense of moral excellence, the principle of reason and reflection, benevolence to our creatures and our love of the Divine Being." — Edward Jenner "Lawrence Kilham in (October 1973) "Edward Jenner, Pioneer Student of Two Major Ornithological Problems". The Auk 90 (4): 752–758. DOI:10.2307/4084356." — Edward Jenner