Edward Jenner and the smallpox vaccine

My notes on Jenner and the discovery of the smallpox vaccine, with opposition and support for it.

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the discovery

Jenner observed a local folk story that a milkmaid with cowpox never caught smallpox:

  • he infected a boy from a local workhouse with the cowpox pus from a milkmaid
  • he then infected the boy with the pus from a smallpox victim a few days later
  • the boy showed no symptoms of smallpox at all
  • this was called the smallpox vaccine
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Goverment involvement

  • The government gave jenner £30, 000 in total after he made this discovery
  • In 1840 the smallpox vaccine was made free to all children under the age of 5.
  • In 1853 the smallpox vaccine was made cumpulsory for all.
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support

  • The smallpox disease was carried across to America by settlers and transferred to the Native Americans. The native Americans recieved this smallpox vaccine and sent a thankyou messege to Jenner.
  • All members of the royal family were vaccinated which helped to increase the popularity.
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opposition

  • Jenner was acountry doctor so many doctors in the city didn't trust his discovery
  • Doctors who preformed inoculations were afraid of going out of business
  • Jenner couldn't prove why the vaccine worked as it was before pasteurs germ theory in 1861.
  • Many people were afarid that the would catch diseases from cows by having the vaccine or even growing feature of cows like horns.
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