Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was an English physician and scientist who developed the first vaccine. This was a vaccine against smallpox that he developed by using another disease: cowpox.
Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was an English physician and scientist who developed the first vaccine. This was a vaccine against smallpox that he developed by using another disease: cowpox.
Milkmaids
At the age of 13, Edward Jenner began his studies to become a physician. In one of his early years, he heard a milkmaid say, "I will never get the smallpox, because I have already had the cowpox." From then on, Jenner became very interested in the protective effect of cowpox. However, it was not until 1796, at the age of 46, that he took the first step in a long process by which smallpox would eventually be completely eradicated.
Vaccinia
This first step was to vaccinate an 8-year-old boy with cowpox derived from a milkmaid. The boy developed mild symptoms of cowpox after this. A few months later, Jenner vaccinated him again, this time with the regular smallpox. After the boy developed no symptoms at all, Jenner drew the conclusion that the boy was completely protected from smallpox due to the cowpox. After repeating this procedure several times he called this process vaccination, after the Latin word for cowpox: vaccinia. Vaccination against smallpox eventually led the WHO to declare the world smallpox-free in 1980 and to stop vaccinating against it worldwide.