James Phipps

James Phipps (* 1788 in Berkeley Parish, † April 25, 1853 ) is widely regarded as the first person who has been vaccinated by Edward Jenner with cowpox against smallpox. In many publications Phipps is known as the first person who has been vaccinated. Seen medicine Historically, however, this is not correct.

Life

Phipps was the son of a poor peasant, who worked as a gardener at Jenner. On May 14, 1796 James Phipps was inoculated at the age of eight years from the English country doctor Edward Jenner specifically with cowpox against smallpox.

These took Jenner from a pustule of the hand of milkmaid Sarah Nelmes suffering from cowpox ( in a later letter Jenner writes Lucy Nelmes ) fluid and inoculated James Phipps with it.

Jenner made ​​for two superficial incisions in the skin of the boy. He wrote: On the seventh day he complained of discomforts in the armpit and on the ninth day was a bit cold to him, lost his appetite and had some headaches. During the whole day he was perceptibly indisposed, and spent the night with a certain degree of restlessness; but on the following day he was doing excellent.

After six weeks Jenner resulted in a variolation Phipps with material from a "real" Pockenpustel by. The boy did not fall ill. Jenner concluded that the protection was complete.

As Phipps years later married and start a family with two children founded, Edward Jenner gave him a house in Berkeley. In this residential building was from 1968, the year of its inception until 1982, the Edward Jenner Museum.

Before a vaccination against cowpox Phipps was successfully carried out in to other people. So led the Kiel Peter Plett 1791 vaccinations to three children and the Englishman Benjamin Jesty 1774 three members of his family through.

Reception

When viewed with the currently applicable standards of medical ethics, Jenners people attempt to James Phipps was ethically untenable. However, for medicine, it represents an important milestone