may 14, 1796 - 1796: Edward Jenner, a devout Christian, develops the vaccine of smallpox

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Edward Jenner, an English man who was a devout Christian, was the pioneer of smallpox vaccine. This disease killed around one out of three people who caught it and badly scarred those who survived it, so it was greatly feared. On May 14, 1796, Jenner took fluid from a cowpox blister and scratched it onto the skin of an eight-year-old boy, which caused only a blister. Jenner inoculated the boy again on July 1, this time successfully. Doctors all over Europe soon adopted his technique, leading to a drastic decline in smallpox and saving numerous lives.

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