Edward Jenner, (May 17, 1749 – January 26, 1823) was an English physician and scientist who was the pioneer of smallpox vaccine, the world’s first vaccine.
He is often called “the father of immunology”, and his work is said to have “saved more lives than the work of any other human”.
In 1979, the World Health Organization declared smallpox an eradicated disease. This was the result of coordinated public health efforts by many people, but vaccination was an essential component. And although the disease was declared eradicated, some pus samples still remain in laboratories in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States and State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia.
Jenner’s vaccine also laid the foundation for contemporary discoveries in immunology, and the field he began may someday lead to cures for arthritis, AIDS, and many other diseases.
The lunar crater Jenner is named in his honor.