An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae (facsimile)

1923

Hist. Coll. WC588 J54 1923

Milan: R. Lier and Co.

In this volume, Edward Jenner (1749-1823) gives his pioneering description of ‘vaccination.’ It was well known that milk-maids commonly developed sores of cowpox on their hands; a mild variant of smallpox. As a result, they never contracted smallpox with its usual disfiguring facial scarring. Jenner reasoned that the women had developed cross-immunity. He therefore took pus from the hand of Sarah Nelmes (in this image) and injected it into James Phipps, an eight-year old boy. To prove his theory, Jenner later infected Phipps with smallpox pus. He remained well. Interestingly, ‘vacca’ means ‘cow’ in Latin.