Edward Jenner - Scientific Research and the Smallpox Vaccine - Page 2© Jackie DiGiovanni
Page 2
Sep 18, 2001
preventing smallpox, that the Royal Society refused his paper and told him to
stop using the treatment.
Jenner continued his research, taking careful notes, using the scientific
method he had been taught. When he had twenty-three documented cases, he decided
to self-publish his work. After twenty years of inquiry, research, and experimentation, he published An
Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae in 1798. The
book gradually gained acceptance and Jenner was recognized for the valuable
contribution he had made to the world. He became so famous that, when his
brother was captured by the armies of Napoleon, Jenner wrote to Napoleon asking
for his brother's release; Napoleon replied, "I cannot refuse Jenner
anything."
England honored Jenner with a cash payment of P10,000 in 1802 (approximately
$500,000 in today's currency) and P20,000 in 1807. He received recognition from
the universities of Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge. In 1803, the Royal Jennerian
Institute was founded and Jenner was named President.
Jenner's contribution was the technique he used and the scientific method he
practiced. The eventual world-wide use of the smallpox vaccine may not have
happened if Jenner had not promoted its acceptance with his careful methodology.
Edward Jenner died in 1823.
In 1840, the government of England declared all alternative treatments to prevent
smallpox illegal. The Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research in England is renown for its
contributions to research and investigation. The Institute's stated mission is:
To carry out scientific research, of the highest international
standards aimed at:
-
understanding the immune responses against infectious
organisms or malignant cells,
-
applying new knowledge and technologies to develop effective
means of inducing protective or therapeutic immunity in humans,
-
developing models of human disease for studies of novel
vaccines or new formulations,
-
developing new formulations to allow delivery of antigens to
the immune system for the induction of protective immunity,
-
encouraging and supporting science and technology activities
in the UK that may lead to the discovery of new vaccines for human disease.
To provide a centre of excellence for the training of workers in
those fields of science and technology relevant to the activities and
interests of the institute.
Sources:
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Frank/People/jenner.html
http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/nathist/jenner.html
http://www.jenner.ac.uk/
http://www.fivevalleys.demon.co.uk/jenner.htm
http://www.tulane.edu/%7Edmsander/Tutorials/Pox/Pox1.html
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/1750-1900.html
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/vaccines_how_why.html
http://www.acponline.org/journals/annals/15oct97/smallpox.htm | 
