Modern immunology is so far advanced from what it used to be. As a result, people can live longer lives. When the Black Plague was around, it killed by the thousands. It is in human nature to want to live longer. By studying diseases and our bodies’ reactions to them, ways are created to battle them and in some cases eradicate them. With Smallpox, Edward Jenner pioneered the first vaccine using an active but less deadly disease. He discovered that people who had contracted cow pox at some point never contracted Smallpox. He then researched this theory and started injecting people with the cow pox virus. He faced many adversaries who claimed that he was wrong. They said they found cases where they had contracted Smallpox even after having cow …show more content…
His father was the vicar of their town. His parents died when he was five years old and his older brother raised him. At thirteen, he apprenticed with a local surgeon. His apprenticeship lasted about 7 years. Afterwards, he received further training in London. After three years in London, he returned home to Berkeley to become a local physician. Jenner had interest in many things. “Jenner occupied himself with many matters. He studied geology and carried out experiments on human blood” [6]. He had a lifelong interest in the natural sciences [6]. He studied different living animals and how their bodies worked. He established a few medical societies and presented many papers. Living in the country he heard many wives tales that maids who had cow pox never contracted Smallpox. Many ridiculed him for believing this wives tale. He was not deterred. He conducted many experiments and was able to eventually prove that he was correct. His most famous experiment was where he took cow pox fluid from a pustule on a maids arm and injected it into an incision on a boy’s arm. He then infected the boy again with cow pox and the boy displayed no symptoms. After a few years, thousands of people were inoculated against Smallpox using his vaccine. In 1823, Jenner died at 74 from a stroke.