Vaccinations And Edward Jenner Flashcards
How many people did smallpox kill in 1751?
3500 in London
Which virus caused the disease?
Variola virus
At the time, what was the on, way to prevent the disease?
Inoculation
Edward Jenner background info- origin story
Born in 1749
Country doctor in Gloucestershire
Heard milk aids didn’t catch smallpox but did catch milder cowpox
What did Edward Jenner come to the conclusion about cowpox?
It must give the milk maids immunity from smallpox
Describe when and how Jenner tested his theory
1796
Injected James Phipps with pus from sores of Sarah Nelmes who was a milkmaid with cowpox
Then Jenner infected Phipps with smallpox
He did not contract the disease.
What was the opposition Jenner faced to his vaccine
Many worried about giving themselves a disease form cows or even turning into cows.
Some doctors thought it was a threat to their business, as they made as much as £20 per inoculation
City based doctors questioned how country doctor could make such a discovery
Royal society in London refused to publish is book on vaccination.
Doctor William woodville claimed worked little better than inoculation after deaths occurred after using vaccine- contaminated instruments could have been used though.
When became compulsory people campaigned against it- didn’t like gov telling them what to do
Church saw them as unnatural- some saw as punishment for sinful living so shouldn’t interfere.
When was vaccination made compulsory
1853
Support for Edward Jenner
1802 parliament gave him £10000 to open vaccination clinic.
1807 gave £20000 after royal collage of physicians confirmed how effective vaccine was.
Members of the royal family were vaccinated
When was the vaccine made free for infants and why
In 1840 partly due to the epidemic of 1837-40
When were fines introduced to parents who refused to vaccinate their children
1871
Was the vaccine successful
Yes- contributed to big fall in smallpox cases in Britain
Long term impact of the vaccine
Last reported case was in Somalia in 1977.
1980 WHO declared disease eradicated.
Although he created it, Jenner was unsure why it worked and it did not lead to any immediate breakthroughs on other vaccines. Another 80 years before Louis Pasteur would discover this and another vaccine was created against anthrax and rabies.
