Edward Jenner's lancets
- maker:
- Weiss, John
Six lancets, steel and tortoiseshell, in shagreen and silver case, by John Weiss of London, England, 1801-1823. As used by Edward Jenner.
The pioneer of vaccination Edward Jenner used lancets like these to insert pus, from a milkmaid suffering from cowpox, into the arm of a health 8-year-old boy. Several days later, he proved that the boy was immune to smallpox, a much more serious disease which killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world until it was eradicated in 1979.
Look closer
Edward Jenner's lancetsDetails
- Category:
- Public Health & Hygiene
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A647698
- Materials:
- steel, tortoiseshell, case, shagreen and case, silver
- type:
- lancet