Edward Jenner — "I have always endeavoured to be guided by reason, and not by prejudice."
I have always endeavoured to be guided by reason, and not by prejudice.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Act on careful thinking and evidence rather than inherited assumptions or gut reactions. When logic and bias conflict, choose logic. This principle demands intellectual honesty—being willing to follow evidence wherever it leads, even when conclusions challenge comfortable beliefs or established authority.
Relevance to Edward Jenner
Jenner pursued vaccination despite fierce ridicule from the medical establishment, who dismissed his cowpox-smallpox connection as absurd. He conducted systematic observation and controlled experiments at a time when inoculation was poorly understood, repeatedly subordinating his reputation to his findings. His willingness to be laughed at rather than abandon evidence defines this commitment.
The era
The late 1700s were marked by Enlightenment ideals clashing with entrenched superstition and guild-controlled medicine. Religious objections to vaccination were widespread, and medical authority often rested on tradition rather than experiment. Jenner's era was beginning to reward empiricism, but publicly defying consensus still carried enormous professional and social risk.
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