New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Edward Jenner and vaccination

I can evaluate the significance of Jenner's vaccine for smallpox.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Edward Jenner and vaccination

I can evaluate the significance of Jenner's vaccine for smallpox.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Smallpox killed many people in Britain.
  2. Inoculation could provide immunity, but also carried some risks.
  3. Edward Jenner discovered an effective and safe vaccine for smallpox in 1796.
  4. There was considerable opposition to Jenner's vaccine.
  5. The British government provided increasing support for smallpox vaccination over the 19th century.

Keywords

  • Immunity - the state of being unable to catch a specific disease

  • Scientific method - approach to testing and gaining knowledge based on observation and experimentation

  • Compulsory - something which people must do because of a rule or law

Common misconception

Jenner's vaccine became widespread and popular almost immediately.

There was considerable opposition to Jenner's smallpox vaccine which delayed widespread use of vaccination in Britain until later in the 19th century.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Edward Jenner and vaccination, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

After reading through section B of the Additional Material, ask pupils why it would make a difference to people's attitudes towards inoculation if they knew the children of the Royal Family had undergone the procedure.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The method is an approach to testing and gaining knowledge which is based on observation and experimentation.

Correct Answer: scientific

Q2.
John Hunter worked as an army surgeon which helped him correct ideas about wounds.

Correct Answer: gunshot, gun shot

Q3.
Why did John Hunter deliberately infect a patient with pus from a gonorrhoea patient?

He believed it would prevent plague.
Correct answer: to check if syphilis and gonorrhoea were the same disease
to ensure the patient remained sick
to try and kill the patient

Q4.
Which individual was influenced by John Hunter's work and methods?

Andreas Vesalius
Correct answer: Edward Jenner
Thomas Sydenham
William Harvey

Q5.
How long were John Hunter's incorrect ideas about venereal diseases accepted for?

five years
10 years
15 years
25 years
Correct answer: 50 years

Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.

1 - Galen encouraged treatments such as bloodletting.
2 - Ibn al-Nafis suggested some of Galen's ideas were wrong.
3 - Vesalius showed that some of Galen's ideas were incorrect.
4 - William Harvey developed his theory on the circulation of blood.
5 - John Hunter proved that gunshot wounds aren't poisoned.
6 - Edward Jenner experimented to find a preventative method against smallpox.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the state of being unable to catch a specific disease known as?

Correct answer: immunity
inoculation
vaccination
vulnerability

Q2.
What was King George III's attitude towards inoculation?

hostile
neutral
Correct answer: supportive

Q3.
Who discovered the smallpox vaccine?

Correct Answer: Edward Jenner, Jenner

Q4.
When did smallpox vaccines become compulsory in the UK?

1797
1825
Correct answer: 1853
1881

Q5.
Which of the following groups were initially most opposed to smallpox vaccines?

Correct answer: the Church
Correct answer: inoculators
the British government
the Royal Family

Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.

1 - Inoculation was first introduced to Britain.
2 - Royal Family helped to popularise inoculations.
3 - Smallpox vaccine was discovered.
4 - British government made smallpox vaccinations compulsory.
5 - Smallpox death rate fell to an average of just 21 people per million.

Additional material

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