John Fewster

John Fewster
Born1738 (1738)
Died (aged 86)
Education
Occupations
Known forHis role in the discovery of the smallpox vaccine
Spouse
Betty Tyson
​
(m. 1770)​

John Fewster (1738 – 3 April 1824)[1] was a surgeon and apothecary in Thornbury, Gloucestershire. Fewster, a friend and professional colleague of Edward Jenner, played an important role in the discovery of the smallpox vaccine. In 1768 Fewster realized that prior infection with cowpox rendered a person immune to smallpox.[2][3]

Fewster was educated at Bristol Grammar School before a seven-year apprenticeship at the Bristol Infirmary.[4]

  1. ^ Doig, Chris. "John Fewster & family". Thornbury Roots. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ^ Pearson, George (1798). An Inquiry Concerning the History of the Cowpox, Principally with a View to Supersede and Extinguish the Smallpox. London: J. Johnson. pp. 102–104 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Many sources claim that in 1765, Fewster read a paper to the Medical Society of London titled "Cow pox and its ability to prevent smallpox". However, the Medical Society of London was created in 1773. See: Furthermore, the earliest insinuation that Fewster had written a paper titled "Cow pox and its ability to prevent smallpox" appeared in 1886. See: By Fewster's own account ((Pearson, 1798), p. 102), he merely " … communicated this fact [that prior infection with cowpox provides immunity to smallpox] to a society, of which I was then a member, … ". He made no mention of having written a paper on the subject.
  4. ^ Thurston, L; Williams, G (2015). "An examination of John Fewster's role in the discovery of smallpox vaccination". Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 45 (2): 173–179. doi:10.4997/jrcpe.2015.217. ISSN 1478-2715. PMID 26181536.