Science · 1749–1823
Born: 17 May 1749 · Died: 26 January 1823 · Age: 73
English country doctor who pioneered vaccination with cowpox in 1796, leading to the eradication of smallpox
Did you know?He tested his smallpox vaccine on his gardener's young son, a procedure that would be highly controversial today.
Edward Jenner pioneered vaccination and helped save hundreds of millions of lives. He was a country doctor in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, who had trained under the great surgeon John Hunter in London. Local farm workers believed that milkmaids who caught mild cowpox were protected from deadly smallpox. In 1796 Jenner tested the idea by giving cowpox to a boy, James Phipps, and later exposing him to smallpox. The boy stayed well. Jenner called the method vaccination, from vacca, Latin for cow. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980.
Edward Jenner (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine.
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Profile
English doctor, 1749–1823
Edward Jenner was born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, on 17 May 1749.
He trained under John Hunter in London.
He vaccinated James Phipps in 1796.
He published his findings in 1798.
Career highlights
Did you know?He was also elected to the Royal Society for his study of cuckoos.
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