Contents
Edward Jenner
Developing smallpox vaccination using material from cowpox.
An Inquiry into the Variolae Vaccinae · Further vaccination research
- Born
- 17 May 1749
- Birthplace
- Berkeley, England
- Died
- 26 January 1823
More people
Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner was an English physician whose research helped establish vaccination. He tested a practice based on observations linking cowpox exposure with protection against a much more dangerous disease.
Early life
Gloucestershire childhood
Grew up in Berkeley, the son of a clergyman.
Medical apprenticeship
Trained locally before studying under surgeon John Hunter in London.
Career
- 1773
Country practice
Returned to Berkeley to practise medicine.
- 1796
Vaccination experiment
Tested cowpox inoculation in the child James Phipps.
- 1798 onwards
Publication and promotion
Published his findings and worked to spread vaccination.
Selected work
An Inquiry into the Variolae Vaccinae
Set out evidence linking cowpox with protection against smallpox.
Further vaccination research
Published additional observations as the practice spread.
Beyond work
Natural history
Studied cuckoo behaviour and became a Royal Society fellow.
Local life
Maintained a medical practice and family home in Berkeley.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: John Raphael Smith. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
