Talk:Cowpox
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I believe the virus responsible is "Vaccinia virus". Can someone please check this?
This site: http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/pox/history.html states that the vaccinia virus is not the same as cowpox virus.
I would agree: it's not the wild form of cowpox, not is it catpox or any of the wild pox viruses ... it's a domesticated species by now.
"However, credit was stolen by the politically astute Dr. Jenner who performed his first inoculation, 22 years later. It is said that Jenner made this discovery by himself without any ideas or help from others. Although Jesty was first to discover it, Jenner let everyone know and understand it, thus taking full credit for it."
Stealing is a willful act, however this block states that Jenner was unaware of Jesty's work. Could someone who is familiar with the facts rewrite this to be a) neutral and b) non-contradictory. The Mysterious X 02:35, 7 November 2007 (UTC)
I'm currently researching smallpox with sources from the Jenner period for other purposes: will come back and edit it. At first glance, it appears that Jesty just inoculated his immediate family and did not publish or otherwise spread the information. He was recognized as a "pioneer" of the method in his lifetime and Jenner's. Jenner published and campaigned and really pushed the idea.
Please make reference to Voltaire's "Letter from England" where he discusses the import of the practice of inoculation from Turkey and the Cirrcasian community and its adoption by the British Royal Family. Voltaire also discusses the use of the practice in China. Jenner must have been aware of some of these facts, especially with reference to the Royal Family. Voltaire published "Letter ....." in 1731.
The earlier inoculations were with live smallpox vaccine, a practice known as "variolation". For various reasons, mostly because the European doctors failed to follow the traditional method but revised it until it was a lengthy ordeal no better than having the smallpox, it fell into disfavor. Jenner's leap was to recognize that cowpox bestowed good immunity to variola.
