#OnThisDay in 1796, Edward Jenner performed the first smallpox vaccination. Jenner had observed that milkmaids, who were exposed to cowpox through their work, were often immune to smallpox and its scarring pock marks. https://bit.ly/2yUPPbr 

Locals who were aware of this phenomenon began to inoculate themselves with the cowpox pustule to ward off smallpox. Investigating further, Jenner injected matter from a cowpox pustule on the hand of milkmaid Sarah Nelmes into the arm of a young boy, James Phipps.

Jenner called the procedure vaccination after the Latin word for cow (vacca). Its success led to the global eradication of smallpox in 1979 and the development of many more life-saving vaccines. Read more: https://bit.ly/2yUPPbr 

Discover more about Jenner's life and work at @DrJennersHouse, the museum that was his home and where he carried out his pioneering research into vaccination. https://bit.ly/2WqvWlG