Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner was born in 1749.He was an English physician, the discoverer of vaccination. Jenner studied medicine in London. He began his practice in 1773 when he was twenty-four years old.
Edward Jenner liked to observe and investigate ever since he was a boy. His persistent scientific work resulted in the discovery of vaccination against smallpox. Today cases of smallpox are very rare because every infant when it is about a year old is vaccinated against this disease. The vaccination is effective for a prolonged period of time.
In Jenner’s days, one out of every five persons in London carried the marks of this disease on his face. But there were few people who recovered from the disease because in the 18th century smallpox was one of the main causes of death.
The disease had been common for centuries in many countries of Asia. The Turks had discovered that a person could be prevented from a serious attack of smallpox by being infected with a mild form of the disease.
One day Jenner heard a woman say: «I cannot catch smallpox, I’ve had
cowpox». That moment led to Jenner’s continuous investigations and
experiments.
The first child whom Jenner introduced the substance from cowpox vesicles obtained from the wound of a diseased woman was Jimmy Phipps. It was in 1796. For the following two years, Jenner continued his experiments. In 1798 he published the report on his discovery. He called his new method of preventing smallpox «vaccination», from the Latin word vacca, that is «a COW».
At first, people paid no attention to his discovery. One doctor even said that vaccination might cause people to develop cow’s faces.
But very soon there was no part of the world that had not taken up vaccination.
Thousands of peoplewere given vaccination and smallpox began to disappear as if by magic.
MUMPS
The causative agent is a filtrable virus. It is found in the saliva of patients, where it may be present for at least 24 hours before swelling of the salivary glands develops, and throughout the entire period of glandular enlargement. Spread is by droplet infections or direct contact with materials contaminated with infected saliva. Most cases occur in children between 5 and 15 years of age; the disease is unusual in children under 2 years. Infants up to 10 months ordinarily are immuned. However, the disease may occur at any age, and cases in the older age groups may be seen.
After an incubation period of 14 to 21 days onset is marked by chilly sensations, headache, anorexia and malaise. This is accompanied by a low to moderate fever which may last from 12 to 24 hours before any involvement of the salivary glands. In mild cases, these prodromal symptoms may be absent. Pain on chewing or swallowing is the earliest symptom of parotitis. There is marked sensitivity to pressure over the angle of the jaw. With development of parotitis, the temperature frequently rises to 103 or 104 F. Swelling of the
gland reaches its maximum about the 2nd day and is associated with swelling, involving the cheek and area below the ear. Inmost cases, both parotid glands are involved. Occasionally the submaxillary and sublingual glands also may be swollen, or, more rarely, may be the only glands affected. In such cases, there is swelling of the neck beneath the jaw.
The diagnosis of typical cases during an epidemic is simple, but sporadic cases present a more difficult problem. Swelling of the parotid or other salivary glands due to the mumps virusmust be distinguished from: (1) bacterial parotid involvement occuring in streptococcal throat infections, diphtheria, or debilitated patients with poor oral hygiene, typhoid or typhus fever; (2) malignant tumors of the salivary glands; (3) postoperative parotitis.
In uncomplicated mumps, prognosis is extent. However, relapses may occur occasinally after about 2 weeks. In complicated cases, deafness or facial paralysis has been known to occur following involvement of the nervous system.