Episode 2 of 4
Challenge with Variolous Material
- When
- 1 July 1796
- Where
- Site of the variolous challenge not specified in the sources
- Part of
- First Smallpox Vaccination
On 1 July 1796 Jenner injected Phipps with variolous material, the routine immunisation method of the time, and no disease followed.
On 1 July 1796, Jenner injected Phipps with variolous material, the routine method of immunisation at that time, and again no disease followed. This subsequent challenge was central to Jenner's contribution: as Donald Hopkins later wrote, Jenner's unique contribution was proving by subsequent challenges that those inoculated with cowpox were immune to smallpox.
Sources
- Edward Jenner Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.