In your opinion, under what present-day circumstances could Edward Jenner conduct his experiments with smallpox vaccinations? Do you think that any of his procedures would be prohibited in a modern research study? Reading Excerpt: Friis, Robert H. Epidemiology 101 (Essential Public Health) (p. 14). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Kindle Edition. In 1798, Jenner’s findings regarding his development of a vaccine that provided immunity to smallpox were published. Jenner had observed that dairymaids who had been infected with cowpox (transmitted by cattle) were immune to smallpox. The cowpox virus, known as the vaccinia virus, produces a milder infection in humans than does the smallpox virus. Jenner created a vaccine by using material from the arm of a dairymaid, Sarah Nelmes, who had an active case of cowpox. In 1796, the vaccine was injected into the arm of an 8-year-old boy, James Fipps, who was later exposed to smallpox and did not develop the disease. Concluding that the procedure was effective, Jenner vaccinated other children including his own son. Figure 1-8 displays an 1802 cartoon by British satirist James Gillray. The cartoon implied that people who were vaccinated would become part cow.