EDWARD JENNER
(Copied from Thomas J. Pettigrew’s “Medical Portrait Gallery,” London, 1838. The original portrait was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, Royal Academy.)
Immediately after his return from London Jenner took up his residence with his brother Stephen, at Berkeley, and began his career as a practitioner of medicine. At the same time, as opportunity afforded, he continued to pursue his favorite studies in natural history. Thus, in a comparatively short period of time, he accumulated a series of specimens illustrative of comparative anatomy, and sufficiently numerous to form a museum of no inconsiderable magnitude.
In describing the manner in which Jenner’s attention was first seriously directed to the subject of cow-pox Dr. Baron, his biographer, uses the following language:—
Jenner was pursuing his professional education in the house of his master at Sodbury; a young country-woman came to seek advice; the subject of small-pox was mentioned in her presence; she immediately observed, “I cannot take that disease, for I have had cow-pox.” This incident riveted the attention of Jenner. It was the first time that the popular notion, which was not at all uncommon in the district, had been brought home to him with force and influence. Most happily the impression which was then made was never effaced. Young as he was, and insufficiently acquainted with any of the laws of physiology or pathology, he dwelt with deep interest on the communication which had been casually made known to him by a peasant, and partly foresaw the vast consequences which were involved in so remarkable a phenomenon. He was the more stimulated to meditations of this sort by frequent opportunities of witnessing the ravages of small-pox; and by retaining the most vivid and painful recollections of the severe discipline which he himself had not long before passed through, preparatory to his inoculation for that disease. “There was”—to use his own words—“bleeding till the blood was thin; purging till the body was wasted to a skeleton; and starving on vegetable diet to keep it so.” The possibility of averting such evils could not arise in a mind like Jenner’s without possessing it fully; and he resolved to let no opportunity escape of acquiring knowledge on so important a subject.... It was not till some years after his return from London that he had an opportunity of examining into the truth of the traditions respecting cow-pox. This was about the year 1775, a date which corresponds with the period specified by him in his tract on “The Origin of Vaccine Inoculation.”
Although during the following five years Jenner’s efforts to learn the full truth about cow-pox brought him very little nearer the goal which he was aiming to reach, he nevertheless pursued with zeal and vigor his studies concerning the nature of this disease and concerning its relations to small-pox. Among the facts which he ascertained during this period the following deserve to receive mention here: (1) There are several different diseases to which milkers are liable when they handle infected cows; but (2) only one of them possesses the power of furnishing protection against small-pox. The discovery of these facts made it easy to understand why vaccination with the virus of what was commonly called cow-pox not infrequently failed to protect the individual so vaccinated from genuine small-pox.
As a result of still further investigations Jenner felt warranted in drawing the conclusion that small-pox, cow-pox and swine-pox had a common origin,—in fact, were varieties of the same disease. Dr. Baron mentions the following incidents or experiences as affording a strong corroboration of the truth of the statements just made:—
In November, 1789, Jenner inoculated his eldest son Edward, who was then about one year and a half old, with swine-pox matter. The progress of the disease seemed similar to that which arises from the insertion of true small-pox matter when the disease is very slight. He sickened on the eighth day; a few pustules appeared; they were late and were slow in their progress and small. Subsequently, at five or six different periods, variolous matter was carefully inserted into his arms without the slightest inflammation being excited in the part.
On April 7, 1791, variolous matter was again inserted by two small incisions through the cutis.
April 9, parts evidently inflamed.