Q. I am told there is some confusion over Jenner’s
actual date of birth. Why?
He was born on 17 May 1749. BUT: note that this is on our present 'Gregorian'
calendar. When he was born they were still using the 'Julian' calendar.
His birth date was actually on 6 May in 1749, but 11 days were deleted
from the calendar just afterwards. Jenner chose, like most people, to
convert his birthday to the new calendar. So we use 17 MAY 1749. (Confusing,
isn't it?)
Q.
What was the cause of Jenner's death?
He died from a stroke at the age of 73. He had suffered a few minor strokes
before the fatal one. He died at 2.00am on 26th January 1823, having been
found unconscious at breakfast time the previous day, and never recovering
consciousness. The night before, he had been called out to the local coroner,
who had also suffered a stroke. He declared that the coroner would not
survive more than 24 hours. Ironically, Dr Jenner died a few hours before
his last patient.
Q. What is the connection between Jenner and
Napoleon?
Jenner wrote to Napoleon during the period 1803-5 and secured the release
of two English prisoners of war: a Dr Wickham and Thomas Williams. Napoleon
is reputed to have said: "Ah, Jenner, je ne puis rien refuser a Jenner"
(“Ah, Jenner, I can refuse him nothing”). Napoleon’s affection
for Jenner was because of his appreciation that troops could be given
advantage in battle if vaccinated.
Q. Where can I find more information about Jenner?
There are two excellent books:
Edward Jenner by Richard B. Fisher. ISBN 0-233-98681-2.
This is long out of print. You should be able to get it through a library.
Very new and comprehensive is:
The Eradication of Smallpox by Herve Bazin. ISBN 0-12-083475-8.
It Sells at £29.95 but we have copies at £26.95 plus P&P.
See our mail order section.
Q. What happened to Blossom the cow?
Blossom's horns and some of her hair are on display
here at the Jenner Museum. Her hide is displayed at St George's Hospital
in
London (where Jenner trained with the great surgeon John Hunter).
Q.
Did Jenner have any artistic skills?
Yes! He played the flute and the violin. He also wrote poems like this
one against slavery:
If, when me nothing had to eat,
For stealing bit of bread
Black Man you so severely beat,
And whip till almost dead;
What Punishment's to Massa's due?
from Guilt can he be free?
Who when he bought poor Negro, knew
That white man steal a me.
Q.
Is there something that I can quote in my school essay, which was actually
written by Jenner?
At the end of a short publication about inoculation (1801) he wrote:
An hundred thousand persons have been inoculated in these realms. The
numbers who have partaken of its benefits throughout Europe and other
parts of the globe are incalculable: and it now becomes too manifest to
admit of controversy, that the annihilation of the Small Pox, the most
dreadful scourge of the human species, must be the final result of this
practice.
Q.
What made Jenner so clever?
He was different because he was a 'lateral thinker'. He did not believe
everything he was told, but wanted the proof for it. If he could not get
that, he thought of better explanations and did the experiments to test
them. He was also interested in lots of different things. And sometimes
great discoveries come when you bring together knowledge in different
sciences. He persisted with ideas that he believed in, even when opposed
by 'the establishment'.
Q.
I have heard that a farmer called Benjamin Jesty discovered cowpox first.
If this is true, why does Jenner get all the praise?
It is probable that Jesty and others experimented with cowpox in a simple
way before Jenner published his work. However, to really discover something
you have to do three things:
- have
a great idea (that mild cowpox could protect against deadly smallpox)
- do
enough experiments to prove your idea to other clever people
- publicise
it so that the World knows about it.
All three are necessary to 'discover' something earth shattering. Only
Jenner did all these things. Others merely dabbled. Jenner also followed
up his discovery by researching how to keep his vaccine clean and effective,
and how to transport it around the world.
Q. Did Edward Jenner have any
family?
Edward married Catherine Kingscote in 1788. They had three children:
Edward (1789-1810), Catherine (1794-1833) and Robert Fitzhardinge (1797-1854).
Only Catherine married and had children.
Q.
What religion was Edward Jenner?
Dr Jenner was a very conventional Christian, worshiping in the town's
parish church (Church of England) next to his home and Berkeley Castle.
He and his family are buried there, in the church of St Mary the Virgin,
Berkeley, right next to the altar.
Q.
Didn’t Jenner have a connection with Queen Victoria?
He is sometimes confused with the other famous Dr Jenner, who was physician
to our Queen Victoria.
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