Smallpox Vaccine Jenner

About Smallpox Vaccine Jenner

Edward Jenner developed the first successful vaccine in 1796. Jenner observed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox, a mild disease, were immune to smallpox. He inoculated 8 year old James Phipps with cowpox matter and later exposed him to smallpox. The boy did not contract the disease. Jenner published his findings in 1798 in An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae. The term vaccine comes from vaccinus, Latin for of the cow. Jenners work was initially met with skepticism but gradually accepted. The British government made vaccination free in 1840 and compulsory in 1853. Jenner never profited from his discovery, refusing to patent it. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980 after a global vaccination campaign.