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On May 14, 1796, British physician Edward Jenner performed a vital experiment by making two half-inch scratches on the arm of eight-year-old James Phipps and dabbing cowpox pus into them. The pus had come from the cowpox blisters on the hands of milkmaid Sarah Nelmes, who had milked a cow infected with cowpox, as evidenced by lesions on the teats and udder. Phipps developed symptoms of mild cowpox but suffered no long term effects. Six weeks later, Jenner exposed Phipps to smallpox virus in the same manner that he had exposed the boy to cowpox, but Phipps did not become ill. When Jenner exposed Phipps to cowpox, the boy's immune system developed antibodies ready to combat the virus, and these same antibodies were capable of fighting off the similar smallpox virus. Jenner realized that his experiment had worked, and the persons he treated with cowpox developed resistance to both cowpox and smallpox.

Vaccination with cowpox fluids helped to contain smallpox, a highly destructive disease that can kill up to one-third of its victims and that permanently scars many survivors. Jenner called his idea "vaccination," from the Latin word vaccinia, meaning "cowpox," and coined the word "vaccine," from the Latin vacca, meaning "cow." He also introduced the word "virus." The last case of smallpox occurred in 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease eradicated in December, 1979.

Vaccination as a means of producing immunity against pathogens was pioneered by Jenner and clearly saved lives. Death from smallpox fell drastically across Europe. Immunology was developed as a science. The British parliament considered Jenner a medical hero, awarding him £30,000 to pursue additional vaccination experiments and the development of preventive treatments. Louis Pasteur adopted the word "vaccination" for immunization against any disease. The British army and navy were vaccinated as early as 1801, and Jenner was awarded a gold medal by British naval officers in recognition. Foreign dignitaries inquired about immunization. By 1803, Jenner had established the Royal Jennerian Institute, which encouraged vaccination to eradicate smallpox, and by 1808 this had grown into the National Vaccine Establishment. In 1805, Jenner became a member of the Medical and Chirurgical Society, further encouraging immunization, and this organization expanded into the Royal Society of Medicine, capitalizing on his prestige and influence in the realm of medical science.

Jenner's vaccination techniques and renown spread worldwide. The empress of Russia even changed the name of the first Russian child vaccinated to "Vaccinoff" to celebrate the accomplishment. So great was Jenner's influence that Napoleon I, in 1805, still at war with England, released British prisoners at Jenner's personal request. Vaccination was first utilized in the United States by Benjamin Waterhouse, Harvard University's first professor of pharmacy. In 1821, Jenner was promoted to physician extraordinary (honorary title) to King George IV. Jenner accepted a fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and received honorary doctorates from Oxford and Harvard universities. He was honored by his local community by being named mayor of Berkeley and justice of the peace in recognition of his famed contributions to world health.

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