Jenner and Vaccination
How disease was prevented before germs were known: risky early inoculation, how Edward Jenner used cowpox to protect against smallpox, and why many people opposed the new vaccination.
Use it, the way the marks are given
Free interactive practice at using the material, which is what the marks are for.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Stopping disease before germs were known
Long before anyone knew that germs cause disease, people tried to stop smallpox, a deadly and disfiguring illness. First came a risky method called inoculation, and then Edward Jenner found a far safer way using cowpox. This module looks at how prevention developed and at why so many people were slow to accept it.
Prevention words to know
Learn these before you sort the ideas.
Inoculation against vaccination
Two ways of preventing smallpox, one much safer.
Name the method, then the doubt
In the exam, name the prevention method and say what it protected against, then explain why people were slow to accept it. Jenner could show that vaccination worked but not why, because no one yet knew what causes disease. Some distrusted it, and inoculators who earned money from the older method opposed the change.
Match the term
- smallpox
- inoculation
- vaccination
- cowpox
- the deadly disease being prevented
- the earlier, riskier method
- the safer method Jenner introduced
- the mild disease Jenner used
Match the reason for slow change
- no one could explain why
- public distrust
- the inoculators
- some religious objection
- germs were still unknown
- people feared a new idea
- they lost money to the new method
- some thought it was unnatural
How did Jenner protect people?
What did Edward Jenner use to protect people against smallpox?
- The milder cowpox, which he found stopped people catching smallpox.
- A full dose of smallpox itself.
- A mixture of herbs and prayer.
- A modern antibiotic.
Why was change slow?
Select the TWO real reasons vaccination was slow to be accepted.
- Jenner could not explain why it worked
- Inoculators lost money to the new method
- It clearly did not work at all
- It was banned everywhere by law
Years between methods
Imagine an early inoculation method was recorded in the year 1720 and a later safer method was recorded in 1800. Subtract to find how many years lay between them. What is the answer?
Order the discovery
Put the steps of Jenner developing vaccination in order, earliest first.
- Notice milkmaids with cowpox avoid smallpox
- Test giving cowpox to a patient
- Find the patient is protected from smallpox
- Share the method with others
Complete the account
The deadly disease people feared was _____. The earlier, riskier way to prevent it was called _____. Edward Jenner found a safer way using the milder _____, which we now call vaccination. Change was slow partly because germs were still _____.
Spot the reasons for opposition
Tap the TWO real reasons people opposed or distrusted vaccination.
- no one could explain why it worked
- inoculators lost their income
- it made everyone instantly rich
- it was delivered by post
Explain the case
Read each case and choose the best answer.
- A doctor gives a patient the mild cowpox and finds they no longer catch smallpox. What method is this?
- People ask Jenner exactly why cowpox stops smallpox, and he cannot say. Why not?
- People who earned money from the older method campaign against the new one. What kind of reason is this?
Explain vaccination
Explain how Edward Jenner developed vaccination and why many people were slow to accept it.
- Describe the difference between inoculation and vaccination
- Explain how Jenner used cowpox to protect against smallpox
- Give two reasons opposition to vaccination lasted