Edward Jenner
was born in Berkeley in 1749. Orphaned before he was 5 years old, his brothers and sisters set him on a career in medicine. he completed his training with the great surgeon John Hunter at St. George's Hospital in London. At the age of 23 he returned to Berkeley as the local doctor, leaving only to maintain smaller practices in London and Cheltenham. "The Chantry" became his home for 38 years..
From the early days of his career, Jenner was intrigued by country-lore which held that milk-maids who caught the cowpox could not catch smallpox, one of the most feared diseases of all time. (It had been know to kill up to 20% of the population). Today, smallpox has gone, thanks to Edward Jenner.
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On the 14th of May 1796 a milkmaid, Sarah Nelmes, came to
Jenner with cowpox. He devised a brave and dangerous experiment. He passed on the disease
to James Phipps - his gardener's son - by scratching his skin with infected matter.
(vaccination). When James had recovered from the cowpox, Jenner tried to give him
smallpox. James failed to contract the disease. .
Jenner gathered more evidence and published his findings (at his own expense) in 1798. Despite opposition to his revolutionary ideas, his publication - known as the "Inquiry" - was translated and rapidly passed around the world.
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170 years later, in 1967, the World Health Organization masterminded a final global plan to eradicate smallpox for good. Success was announced in 1980. Smallpox is dead!
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Edward Jenner's methods, and in particular his discovery of vaccination, have now developed into one of the most important branches of modern medicine - Immunology. This science helps the world to fight and treat many infectious diseases, and latterly, to understand transplantation, allergies and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and AIDS.
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In addition to this profound discovery, Jenner made several other contributions to medicine. He was probably the first to associate angina with hardening of the arteries. He also described Rheumatic Heart Disease and purified important medicines.
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Edward Jenner has also become famous in other fields of science. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1789 for correctly describing for the first time, the curious nesting behaviour of cuckoos.
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He was also one of the first to publish convincing evidence that some species of birds migrated to other countries in the winter. (Many, in those days, believed they hibernated)
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Together with his friend, John Hunter, he studied the hibernation of mammals such as hedgehogs and dormice. Jenner was one of the first people to fly a balloon in Britain. Filled with hydrogen and launched from Berkeley Castle, it travelled 24 miles. A skilled geologist and fossil hunter, he discovered the first Plesiosaurus fossil on nearby Stinchcombe Hill.
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His home, The Chantry, is now dedicated to Edward Jenner, the man, and his work. His study remains much as it was when he died in 1823. In the peaceful garden is still the thatched hut where he vaccinated the poor, free of charge. Grape vines that he planted still crop heavily. As one walks through The Chantry, it is possible to imagine, and feel, this great man's presence.
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The consequences of Jenner's work are eloquently explained in an
exhibition on modern immunology. This uses models, and computers, with games and CD-ROMs.
It helps everyone, from doctors to children, to appreciate the importance of that first
experiment 200 years ago.
There is ample parking on-site, disabled access (we regret, to
the ground floor only), and a gift shop and Video Room. Educational support and literature
is also available. We welcome school parties by prior arrangement, and conferencing and
catering facilities can also be provided.
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We're located in the town of Berkeley, half way between Gloucester and Bristol, one mile off the A38 trunk road, within a short walk of Berkeley Castle.
You can contact us by e-mail from here
manager@jennermuseum.com
And you can visit our main Web site from here
Further Information at:
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OPENING HOURS .We are open from 1st of April (or Good Friday,
if earlier) until the end of September.
Tuesday to Saturday 12.30 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Sundays 1.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. .
We are closed Mondays, except Bank Holidays.
During October we open on Sundays only.
Telephone: (44) 01453 810631