The Edward Jenner Museum, Berkeley, Gloucestershire

Housed in the elegant Queen Anne house which was Dr Jenner’s home from 1785 until his death. Displays celebrate the life and work of this world famous C18th doctor who was also a medical scientist, pioneer of smallpox vaccination, naturalist, geologist, balloonist, poet...and more!

Smallpox was the most feared and greatest killer of Jenner's time. In today's terms it was as deadly as cancer or heart disease. It killed 10% of the population, rising to 20% in towns and cities where infection spread easily. Among children, it accounted for one-in-three of all deaths. Jenner called it the Speckled Monster.

Edward Jenner's Inquiry can be identified as the origin of one of the most important branches of modern medicine. All that is known about disease prevention by vaccination, our understanding of allergy, autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), transplantation and AIDS follows from this fundamental work by Edward Jenner. Jenner is acknowledged as the Father of Immunology - the science of our body's defence against invading bugs and chemicals.