The Story of Edward Jenner - the Vaccine Pioneer | A Brief History of Smallpox Vaccination
Prologue
Today I’m going to tell you a monster story - a monster who ruined many cities, towns, and countries, and even wiped out two entire civilizations namely the Mayas and the Incas. Gradually the monster tightened its grip on Eurasia, America, and the Pacific, and unleashed epidemics that claimed thousands of lives. Can you guess the monster? Yes, you are right. The name of this monster is ‘Smallpox!’
This monster practically destroyed the entire Europe in the 18th century. The disease was the cause of a third of all blindness in Europe and killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans annually, including four reigning monarchs namely Queen Mary II of England (1694), Habsburg Emperor Joseph I of Austria (1711), Czar Peter II of Russia (1730), and King Louis XV of France (1794). Benjamin Franklin lost his 4-year-old boy (1736) and till the last day of his life, he repented that he had made a blunder by not variolating his son which was the method used at the time to provide protection against smallpox. Variolation entailed extracting pus from an infected individual's smallpox pustule and injecting it into a non-immune person. In many instances, it produced immunity, but it also caused smallpox outbreaks and killed many people. So it was not a safe prevention method.
Finally, the monster had to accept defeat in 1796 at the hands of a British Doctor Edward Jenner. Today, I’m going to tell you his story!
The Humble Beginnings of Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner was born on May 17, 1749, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England in a poor family background. His mother helped out at a stable, while his father was a pastor. After his father passed away when he was five years old, he was raised by his older brother who was also a pastor. Despite such humble beginnings, Jenner showed an early interest in nature and medicine. Jenner began his official medical study at the age of 13 by working as an apprentice for a local surgeon. He then went to London to finish his studies under the guidance of John Hunter, a well-known surgeon and influential figure in British medicine at the time.
Given the lack of technical advancements in medical science at the time, Hunter fostered Jenner's natural curiosity and emphasized the importance of rigorous experimentation and empirical observation. Jenner returned to Berkeley to start his own medical practice after completing his apprenticeship.
Pastel drawing of Edward Jenner by John Raphael Smith
The Milkmaid with Cowpox
In 1796, Dr. Jenner observed that those milkmaids who contracted cowpox (a disease similar to smallpox but with far less severe symptoms) in their hands never suffered from smallpox. Dr. Jenner was intrigued by this connection between the two diseases, which paved the way for his groundbreaking research. One day he noticed that his milkmaid named Sarah Nelmes had developed cowpox sores in her hand. He asked her if he could collect some amount of pus and other materials from her hand sore. Sarah initially hesitated but Dr. Jenner explained to her that he was going to conduct an experiment on smallpox and if it became successful her name would also be written in the history of medical science forever in gold letters. Finally, Sarah gave consent to Dr. Jenner to collect materials from her cowpox lesions.
Colored etching from 1800 featuring a milkmaid showing her cowpoxed hand to Dr. Jenner, while a surgeon offering inoculation to a dandy
Experiment on James Phipps
To test his theory that cowpox could provide immunity against smallpox, he selected eight-year-old James Phipps from Berkeley, Gloucestershire, as the subject of his experiment. Dr. Jenner made an incision using a lancet on James’ hand and inserted the materials collected from the cowpox pustules of Sarah. Over the course of the following few days, Phipps experienced a mild case of cowpox as expected, which was marked by a few lesions at the site of inoculation. About six weeks following the first cowpox inoculation, Dr. Jenner purposefully exposed Phipps to smallpox by inoculating him with smallpox material. Jenner's theory was supported by this experiment, which showed that Phipps was protected against smallpox by prior cowpox exposure. This was a much safer method than variolation. The success of this study led to a major shift in the way disease prevention was approached. For this work, Dr. Jenner came to be called as the ‘Father of Immunology’ and the ‘Father of Vaccination.’
Oil painting by Ernest Board featuring Dr. Jenner performing his first vaccination on James Phipps, a boy of 8, on May 14, 1796
Lancet used by Dr. Edward Jenner for vaccinations
The Backlash
It was no surprise that some of Dr. Jenner's peers had doubts about his innovative approach to medicine. Some medical reports claimed that vaccinated people later contracted smallpox while famous physicians like Dr. Benjamin Moseley were concerned that injecting a human with material from a cow-borne disease might result in bovine mutations; he cited the (perhaps made-up) story of the "cow-faced boy" as evidence. Some religious leaders also voiced their opposition to the introduction of vaccinations, arguing that it was improper to interfere with God's will in preventing a disease.
James Gillrays’s 1802 Caricature of Edward Jenner vaccinating patients in the ‘Smallpox and Inoculation Hospital’ at St. Pancras. The patients are shown growing cow heads following the vaccination.
Positive Reception
However, despite this criticism, the majority of Dr. Jenner's fellow doctors embraced his discovery. By 1800, roughly 70 "leading lights" had written a testimonial in the ‘Morning Herald’ endorsing vaccination. Additionally, laymen started advocating for vaccinations in public, with high society women and pastors taking up the lancet in their own hands to vaccinate their communities.
1808 cartoon showing Jenner, Thomas Dimsdale, and George Rose getting rid of anti-vaccination opponents
Today’s Situation
On May 8, 1980, WHO declared that the world was smallpox-free, nearly 200 years after Jenner hoped for it. Today, there are only 2 places in the world where the smallpox virus is preserved. They are -
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Russian State Centre for Research on Virology and Biotechnology, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region (near Siberia), Russian Federation
A watercolor painting by F. Pick (1865) featuring the cottage in which Edward Jenner first tried vaccination
Epilogue
Dr. Jenner left this world on 26th January 1823 but saved the lives of 530 million people with his vaccine. His burial place is St. Mary the Virgin Church, Berkley, England. Even today thousands of people go to St. Mary Church to pay him respect. Many people wonder why he did not get the Nobel Prize for his great work. The answer is quite simple. The Nobel Prize system started in the late 19th century/early 20th century and that is why he could not be a Nobel laureate in his lifetime. But that is immaterial. He has already created an immortal seat in the hearts of millions of his admirers and followers!
This article is authored by my father Dr. Kamal Kumar Sengupta. He is a retired doctor with a five-decade-long career as an eye surgeon, a patented inventor of ophthalmic surgical instruments, and an author of ocular pharmacology textbooks. Post-retirement, he decided to invest his time in writing motivational stories from across the globe that will inspire future generations to experience the world, explore ideas, and follow their dreams. I hope you liked this article and if you did, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below!
All images in the article are royalty-free images from jstor.org used for visualization purposes only. We hold no copyright on the images.
A chromolithograph featuring Edward Jenner vaccinating a young child, held by its mother, with a man behind taking cowpox from a cow
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