A History of the World - Jenner's Marvellous Medicine

Professor Mark Horton celebrates the achievements of Edward Jenner, the Gloucestershire doctor who developed a vaccination for smallpox. His discovery saved billions of lives across the globe, leading to the eventual eradication of the disease 30 years ago. A monument is being unveiled in front of the World Health Organisation in Geneva to celebrate the milestone. Professor Horton is a trustee of the Jenner Museum in the Gloucestershire village of Berkeley. He argues a statue of Jenner that was erected in Trafalgar Square before being ousted by campaigners opposed to vaccinations should now be restored to its original position. The documentary is part of a season of programmes telling a history of the world using objects in museums. Mark Horton's chosen object is a cow horn reputed to have come from Blossom the Cow, from whom an extract of cowpox was famously extracted to create the vaccination for smallpox.