The inventor of vaccines 

There should not be many people in the world who are not somewhat familiar with Edward Jenner. Even if they do not know what he is famous for, they should know the product he created: The world's first small pox vaccine. With this discovery, a world of health solutions opened up for humanity. No longer is death by small pox or debilitating pain from polio, nor serious illness from measles, mumps or rubella, a constant danger. Through a series of schedules vaccinations, usually twenty-one in all, a child is protected against diseases once capable of wiping out masses of people.

Edward Jenner is responsible for one of the greatest medical discoveries. He inadvertently came upon the mystery of why some people caught small pox and other people did not. He noticed that milkmaids who caught cowpox did not seem to catch the deadly, contagious small pox. Through research and hard work, Jenner created the world's first small pox vaccine. No longer would people have to worry about many of the contagious diseases spreading throughout the world. After given a series of shots, the individual would be immune to such diseases as small pox, rubella, measles, mumps, and even chicken pox.

It is hard to imagine living in a world consumed by devastatingly debilitating diseases such as polio or small pox. Had it not been for Edward Jenner's discovery of vaccines, the world would not be the place it is now. Vaccines have changed how these diseases affect humanity. No longer is there a constant worry of a child being struck down early in life by small pox or the constant paranoia over a vicious strain of rubella. With a series of vaccinations, children are protected from diseases that were once global killers but are now resigned to history books and medical journals.

Vaccines work their magic by using the same genetic material that the disease is made from. There are also some bacteria that vaccines are affective against, but for the most part are used against DNA mutating diseases. A disease enters the body and changes the cell's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, or otherwise called "the building blocks of life"). This infected cell then reproduces itself. The human body tries to fight this invasion by using white blood cells. Serious diseases such as polio, mumps, and especially AIDS, overcome our body's immune system and while there currently is not a vaccine for AIDS, the vaccinations for other diseases means that our immune system is equipped to handle the invasion. How does this happen?

A disease is different than a virus. A virus is a living one-celled organism, whereas a disease is a mutation of our DNA. A virus is usually treated with antibiotics, and a disease is treated with a vaccine. The vaccine is created from a less-harmful strand of that particular disease. The vaccine works its magic by letting the immune system conquer and build up a resistance to the disease. Once that has happened, then the immune system is protected from the deadlier strands. Think of it as the same type of protection a computer program can offer against outside attackers.

When a person is infected by a disease such as AIDS, the invading contagion enters the body and begins insinuating itself into the bodies DNA. The cell is then changed, and it begins to reproduce itself. The cells spread further and further in the body and eventually overcome our natural defense system. Without the protection from a vaccine, the disease can cause vast devastation and even death. Currently there is not a vaccination against AIDS, but there are vaccinations for diseases such as small pox, polio, mumps, and

A vaccine is a version of a specific disease. Take for example small pox. There was the terrible version of the small pox that ravaged the world, and there was a much milder version that infected cows. Jenner noticed that milkmaids and farmers who contracted the cowpox did not come down with small pox, even when exposed. He tested this theory on a child by injecting him with cowpox. Once the boy recovered, Jenner then exposed him to smallpox. The result was astounding to Jenner and the world. If a person were infected with a disease or a milder variety of disease, then the body built up immunity and would not be affected again.

Vaccines have changed the outcome of countless lives. Individuals that might have been stricken down early in childhood were now given the hope of a life without devastating disease and debilitation. It became mandatory for all children to receive immunizations in order to ensure the elimination of diseases such as polio, rubella, mumps, measles, and even chicken pox. Currently healthcare providers and scientists are looking at creating vaccines for the new generation of killers such as AIDS. Perhaps there will come a day when humanity has forgotten that AIDS had even a remote possibility of contagion.

Edward Jenner's discovery of vaccines and his work with small pox have changed the medical world as we know it. The world does not have to isolate itself any longer from other communities for fear of disease and possible death. Houses are no longer marked with signs of plague. The only recognizable sign of Jenner's battle is a shot record that shows what immunizations a child has received. There are still diseases that currently do not have a vaccination, but there will come a time in the future when even those are nothing more than a stamp on a card.

In the United States, a child is required to have immunizations for certain diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, and even chicken pox. Once a vaccination for AIDS is discovered, it too might join the list of required immunizations. Edward Jenner's creation of vaccines has changed the world. The risk of infection has become virtually nonexistent for diseases that were once known to destroy entire communities. Peace of mind has been given to parents who once might have faced the possible death of a child. Vaccines will evolve in the future and perhaps might one day no longer be needed, but until that time, they continue to serve and protect us.