Edward Jenner: The Father of Immunology

The Father of Immunology

Edward Jenner, born in 1749, is known for his contribution to immunization and the eradication of smallpox. His work is widely regarded as the foundation of immunology — despite the fact that he was neither the first to suggest that infection with cowpox conferred specific immunity to smallpox, nor the first to attempt cowpox inoculation for this purpose.

Jenner’s method of vaccination against smallpox grew in popularity. It eventually replaced variolation, in which material taken from a recent patient or variolated person was used to infect a healthy person in the hopes of producing mild disease that would confer immunity.

In the latter part of the 20th century, about 150 years after Jenner’s death, smallpox made its last gasps. It would eventually be eradicated after a massive surveillance and vaccination program. Because his work led to the eradication of this dreaded illness, Jenner is often called “The Father of Immunology”.

 

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1. Are all the vaccines injectable?

No, there are some vaccines that can be administered orally. Examples include e.g. polio, cholera, rotavirus vaccines.

 


 

2. When was the first laboratory-produced vaccine created?

In 1879, when Louis Pasteur was studying chicken cholera. The bacteria that causes the disease are named Pasteurella multocida.