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Edward Jenner

by Maricarmen from Xalapa

Edward Jenner (http://www.usal.es/~revistamedicinacine/<br>Vol_3/3.2/esp.3.2.htlm/arrows/4.jpg)
Edward Jenner (http://www.usal.es/~revistamedicinacine/
Vol_3/3.2/esp.3.2.htlm/arrows/4.jpg)

Edward Jenner was born on May 17, 1746, in Berkeley, England. From a very early age he felt special attraction for the observations on the behavior of the nature, and specially inside the branch of the zoology. When he was 13 years old he began to collaborate with a surgeon.

In 1770 he decided to study in the Hospital San Jorge in London, and he became a pupil of an important doctor called John Hunter. In that time the smallpox was becoming a big plague in America and Europe. When Edward Jenner was visiting a farm, he put attention to the words of a woman who said, "I will never get ill of smallpox because I am vaccinated". For this reason Jenner did a deep research and found that people in contact were inoculated with "silly smallpox". The silly smallpox is a manifestation of smallpox that takes place almost always in the udders of the cows. Jenner, noticed then that those who had suffered before bovine smallpox they were demonstrating resistance when they were exposed to the disease, therefore he extracted pus of a pustule of Sarah Nelmes' hand, a milking machine that had contracted the smallpox of her dairy cow, and on May 14, 1796 he inoculated a young man called James Phipps (who had not suffered the infection), and immediately after the above mentioned new experiment, he remained immune.

In spite of the good result in the experience with the young man James; the scientists of the era, other doctors, and even the Medical Association of London were opposed to Jenner's treatment (that enclosed is excluded from the latter); with the argument that those that were using the above mentioned method, would manage to be like, little by little, a bull.

Trusting his discovery and to prove that the affirmations of those who were attacking him were groundless, Jenner applied the vaccine to his 5 years old son believing with this to be able to appease and convince his adversaries, but the hard discrepancies were kept during the next 20 years.

Finally and from France there comes the well-deserved recognition, (making more certain than ever the phrase that says: "Nobody is a prophet in his land"); and this is when Napoleon gave the order of vaccinating all his troops in the year 1805. Later the Countess of Berkeley and Lady Duce made vaccinate them children. He died in January 26 of 1823 because of a cerebral hemorrhage.

I think that Eward Jenner is a hero because, thanks to his discovery, many lives are saved everyday in the world. Perseverance is a hero trait, and Jenner is a perfect example of this.

Page created on 5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

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