An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae

Edward Jenner's 1798 publication, An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae, detailed his groundbreaking discovery of a smallpox vaccine. Jenner observed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox, a mild disease from cattle, became immune to smallpox. He tested this by inoculating an eight-year-old boy with cowpox matter, and subsequently exposing him to smallpox, finding the boy was protected. This method, called vaccination, offered a safer alternative to variolation, an earlier practice of intentionally infecting people with smallpox matter, which carried significant risks. Jenner's work laid the foundation for modern vaccination, leading to the eventual eradication of smallpox.123