Freedom of the City of London
Awarded to Edward Jenner, pioneer of innoculation, 1803
Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was a pioneer of innoculation. In 1798
he demonstrated that innoculation with cowpox could protect against
smallpox, bringing the first hope that an effectively untreatable
disease could be controlled. Initially Jenner was ridiculed, but
the obvious advantages of his discovery soon became clear and he
became famous. Amongst the tributes he received, Jenner was given
the freedom of many cities, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh
and Dublin, as well as receiving a medal from Napoleon and a ring
from the Empress of Russia.