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Edward Jenner tested the hypothesis that infection with cowpox could protect a person from smallpox infection.
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Benjamin Waterhouse, brought the vaccination hypothesis to the states where he tested it on his kids first. After this attempt worked he tried to influence more people to take it.
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London Bill of Mortality documented a total of 18,447 deaths before the vaccination from (1791-1800), and in 1802 the numbers dropped to 7,858 documented deaths.
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In 1853 The United Kingdom Vaccination Act was passed which made smallpox vaccination mandatory in the first three months of an infant's life.
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In the U.S., Massachusetts was the first state to have a law which mandated a vaccination for schoolchildren.