Jenner

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin commonly associated with notable individuals such as a pioneering physician in vaccination and a famous family involved in entertainment and fashion
2. A family name linked historically to early developments in medicine regarding immunization and also to prominent figures in contemporary popular culture and media
3. A last name recognized both for contributions to medical science through the introduction of preventive inoculation and for its presence in celebrity culture and public awareness

Etymology: In 1796, the English country doctor Edward Jenner took fluid from a cowpox sore on the hand of a milkmaid, Sarah Nelmes, and scratched it into the arm of an eight-year-old boy, James Phipps. When Jenner later exposed the boy to smallpox, he did not fall ill. Jenner published his findings in 1798, and his method spread widely. His work also gave English a new word. "Vaccine" comes from Latin "vaccinus", meaning "of cows", from "vacca", "cow". Jenner called the procedure "vaccination", and in the 1880s Louis Pasteur broadened "vaccine" to cover immunization in general, partly as a tribute to Jenner. The WHO declared smallpox eradicated in 1980. In modern usage, the name is most often associated with the Jenner family of television, including Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and with Caitlyn Jenner, who won Olympic decathlon gold in 1976 as Bruce Jenner.

Synonyms: doctor, physician, surgeon, vaccinator, medical practitioner