Where does this come from, and can I check it?

An 1796 experiment on a dairymaid's arm launched vaccination. The figure is taken from Science Museum, London, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a history fact?

Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Jenner used cowpox to block smallpox

An 1796 experiment on a dairymaid's arm launched vaccination The Gloucestershire doctor Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids who caught cowpox seemed protected from smallpox. In May 1796 he inserted cowpox matter into a cut on the arm of James Phipps, then exposed the boy to smallpox and found him unaffected. The word vaccination comes from vacca, Latin for cow. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Science Museum, London

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: vaccination, jenner, smallpox

Jenner used cowpox to block smallpox: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: An 1796 experiment on a dairymaid's arm launched vaccination. The figure is taken from Science Museum, London, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.