Dr. Jenner’s Experiment

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  “March 28th, 1797, I inoculated this girl and carefully rubbed the variolous matter into two slight incisions made upon the left arm. A little inflammation appeared in the usual manner around the parts where the matter was inserted, but so early as the fifth day it vanished entirely without producing any effect on the system.” —Edward Jenner (1749–1823). “The Three Original Publications on Vaccination Against Smallpox.” Portrait of Edward Jenner, painted by James Northcote in either 1803 or 1823

Finished reading: The Idea of A University

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Finished reading “The Idea of a University” by John Henry Newman (1801-1890). This verbose collection of lectures and essays squeezes every ounce of the idea into a mere 584 pages. Newman’s trademark is being thorough with a wide expenditure of words. Part One consists of nine discourses on the kinds and roles of Knowledge in University Teaching. Part 2 consists of ten lectures on “University Subjects,” namely Christian and Catholic literature as they relate to Science, Medicine, Classical literature, Grammar, and Writing. This collection is not light reading, requiring full attention to systematic and logical arrangement of his lessons. The present-day academic might consider perusing certain sections as a kind of measuring tool to determine how academics may have changed since the Victorian time. Stay Hydrated! It’s dry!


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