Aim of the article 

The purpose of this study and the writing of this research article based on its results and analysis was the desire of its author to present the volume of available numismatic, phaleristic and bonistic collection materials, thematically devoted to the history of the discovery and early use of immunization and the first smallpox vaccinations, as well as to present the life history and scientific work of the great English scientist and practicing physician Edward Jenner in his fight against smallpox through the practical application of the innovative (for that historical period) vaccination method proposed by him, reflecting such a direction of collecting as numismatics on commemorative, table medals and coins, phaleristics (award medals), and bonistics - on commemorative banknotes issued in different time periods, from different metals and/or their alloys, and dedicated to different events in the life of Edward Jenner himself, as well as to important events related to the issue of immunization and the practical use of smallpox vaccinations in different countries of the world.

Research hypothesis : During the preparation for this thematic study, its author put forward a working hypothesis, the essence of which was that there may be a fairly large number of collectible numismatic materials thematically dedicated to both the scientist and physician Edward Jenner himself, and a significant number of collectible materials thematically dedicated to the issue of immunization/vaccinations against smallpox in different countries of the world and in different historical periods, as well as a number of anniversary and memorable events in the biography of Edward Jenner, and events in the world related to immunization against smallpox, of varying levels of importance and academic representation, reflected in commemorative coins and table (numismatics) and award medals (phaleristics), in bonistics.

Method and materials of the study: In conducting this research, with subsequent writing of this research article based on its results, its author used such research methods as: literary-critical analysis of available materials and studies of both foreign authors on the issue studied by the author. Internet sites and pages of researchers were found on the Internet, including numismatist collectors, phalerists, collectors of bons, who specialize in collecting medical collection materials and, in particular, on immunization, vaccination and vaccines, the history of this issue. All the materials received were carefully selected by the author, grouped and systematized, carefully studied. The obtained collection materials, using a special computer program, were converted into their screenshot copies, both color and black and white, which were then used by the author of this research article as relevant, thematic illustrative material, supplied with brief, explanatory, text 

According to the author of this research article, any research thematically devoted to medicine and any of its areas and, in particular, the history of the process of immunization and vaccinations against infectious diseases, its history and heroes, both scientists and practitioners, is always relevant and in demand. The author has repeatedly, in his works, addressed the topic directly related to the issue of reflecting the issue of immunization and preventive vaccinations, with a number of infectious diseases, its history and heroes, in a variety of modern collecting tools [1, 2, 3]. This new, original, thematic research is purposefully and focused on such areas as phaleristics, bonistics and numismatics - on commemorative, jubilee, coins and table medals, award signs and banknotes of different countries of the world and years of issue, thematically dedicated to both immunization itself and its history and one of its iconic heroes, the pioneer of immunization and the technique of the vaccination process - the English scientist Edward Jenner (1749-1823). Such a direction of collecting as numismatics includes collecting table medals and commemorative coins of various shapes, made/minted from a wide variety of metals – gold, silver, copper, bronze, aluminum and/or from there, a wide variety of alloys, phaleristics – award signs, bonistics – banknotes, and – thematically dedicated/timed to a number of important events and many people, issued into circulation in different years, in different countries of the world.

I would like to begin my article with a brief biography of Edward Anthony Jenner (1749-1823). English physician, founder of vaccination, who discovered a method for preventing smallpox. He was born on May 17, 1749 in Berkeley (Gloucestershire). At the age of 14, he studied with a local surgeon, Daniel Ludlow. Here he first learned that milkmaids who had cowpox were immune to smallpox (at least, this was the belief among farmers at that time). E. Jenner studied these protective properties of cowpox for several years. E. Jenner continued his further training as a doctor in London, where he studied anatomy and worked with patients. From 1773, he was a practicing physician and surgeon in his native Berkeley [29, 30]. Having summarized the results of his many years of smallpox research, E. Jenner, on May 14 (16), 1796, publicly inoculated an eight-year-old boy, James Phipps, with cowpox, taking fluid from a pustule on the hand of a milkmaid who had cowpox. After the vaccination, the boy also suffered from cowpox, and six weeks later, the child was infected with material taken from a patient with smallpox, but the disease did not develop. A few months later, a second smallpox vaccination was given, and five years later, a third. The scientist presented his results in the article “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae, a Discase Discovered in Some of the Western Counties of England and Known by the Name of the Cowpox” (1798) [29, 30].

To begin my story about numismatic, collectible materials, thematically dedicated to both the immunization process itself and, directly, to one of the pioneers, and according to many researchers of this issue, the "founding father" of the inoculation process and, in fact, vaccination, the Englishman, Edward Jenner, and the original immunization process proposed by him, with a number of commemorative, table medals, both round and rectangular in shape, presented both in the obverse (front) part and in the reverse (back, rear) part, made of such metals as gold, silver, copper and bronze, as well as from various metal alloys, as well as souvenir medals/coins, presented in thematic figure 1 [4-11, 42, 43, 48].

Figure 1: Numismatic collection of commemorative medals dedicated to Edward Jenner and his process of immunization against smallpox

Further, in Figure 2, in two versions, an English commemorative coin is presented, also thematically dedicated to both Edward Jenner himself and the use of the method of vaccination against smallpox proposed by him, with an image of this virus on the obverse of this commemorative coin (2023), with a denomination of 2 English pounds. On the reverse of this commemorative coin, a commemorative portrait of King Charles III is presented, with his profile turned to the left [12, 13]. Also, in this same figure, a commemorative coin of the Russian Federation, with a denomination of 25 Russian rubles (2020), with a color image of the portrait of this scientist, slightly turned to the left, is presented on the obverse and reverse. On the left edge, in Russian, in capital letters, it is written "PRIVIVKA OT OSPYTS", on the right, in English - "edward jenner", and at the bottom, the date - 1798. On the reverse of this commemorative coin, in the center, is a double-headed eagle - the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, and along the upper semicircle, in large capital Russian letters "RUSSIAN FEDERATION", and at the bottom, under the coat of arms, is the inscription "BANK OF RUSSIA", 25 RUBLES, 2020 [51, 52].

Figure 2: A commemorative English coin, worth 2 pounds, and a Russian coin worth 25 rubles, dedicated to the memory of Edward Jenner and his process of immunization against smallpox.

An effective way to combat smallpox was inoculation (artificial infection). In the 18th century, it became "fashionable" in Europe. Entire armies, as was the case with George Washington's troops in the United States, underwent mass inoculation. The top officials of states demonstrated the effectiveness of this method. In France, in 1774, the year Louis XV died from smallpox, his son Louis XVI was inoculated. Smallpox took millions of lives  throughout Europe. Representatives of other royal houses also suffered from  it - Louis XV, Peter II. [52]. Thematic Figure 3 shows a small selection of commemorative medals dedicated to the attitude of a number of monarchs to vaccinations against smallpox in different periods of time. Thus, in particular, the obverse and reverse depict commemorative silver and gold medals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire of the Habsburgs, from the reign of Empress Maria Theresa, minted in 1767 [14, 15]. The portrait of the Empress is depicted on the obverse of these commemorative medals, with her profile turned to the right.

Figure 3: Commemorative medals dedicated to the attitude of Empress Maria Theresa towards smallpox, which affected members of her family

Impressed by previous smallpox epidemics, Empress Catherine II sought the services of an experienced inoculator from Great Britain, Thomas Dimsdale. On October 12, 1768, he inoculated the empress and the heir to the throne, the future Emperor Paul I. Dimsdale's vaccination was not the first done in the capital of the empire. Before him, the Scottish doctor Rogerson vaccinated the children of the British consul against smallpox, but this event did not receive any resonance, since it was not given the attention of the empress. In the case of Dimsdale, it was about the beginning of mass smallpox vaccination in Russia. In memory of this significant event, a silver medal was struck with an image of Catherine the Great and the inscription "She set an example" and the date of the significant event. The doctor himself, in gratitude from the empress, received the title of hereditary baron, the title of personal physician, the rank of actual state councilor and a lifelong annual pension [52]. After successfully completing the model vaccination in St. Petersburg, Dimmesdale returned to his homeland, and in St. Petersburg the work he had started was continued by his compatriot Thomas Holliday. He became the first doctor of the Smallpox (Smallpox Vaccination) House, where those who wanted to were vaccinated for free and, as a reward, were given a silver ruble with a portrait of the empress [52]. In 1796, E. Jenner conducted an experiment on a person, vaccinating an eight-year-old boy, James Phipps. Jenner subsequently discovered a way to preserve the vaccination material by drying the contents of smallpox pustules and storing it in glass containers, which made it possible to transport the dry material to different regions. The first vaccination against smallpox in Russia, according to his method, was made in 1801 by Professor Efrem Osipovich Mukhin, to the boy Anton Petrov, who, with the light hand of Empress Maria Feodorovna, received the surname "Vaktsinov" [52]. Thematic figure 6 shows copper and bronze versions of double-sided, round, commemorative medals from the period of the Russian Empire (1768), authored by the sculptor-medalist T.F. Ivanov, dedicated to the outbreak of smallpox in Russia at that time, and the personal participation in the process of mass vaccination against it of Empress Catherine the Great herself (1762-1796) and her son Paul [1, 22, 23, 52]. In memory of the smallpox vaccination of the empress herself, and more to advertise smallpox vaccination, by order of the Senate on May 14, 1772, a memorial medal was minted, on the front side of which was a bust of Catherine II, and on the back side was the temple of Aesculapius, in front of which lies a defeated dragon [27, 28].

In the foreground, presented in full growth, emerging from the temple with her children, is the Empress herself, showing Russia the scars from a smallpox vaccination on her right hand; to her left is the heir Paul, slightly lagging behind. Above this entire composition is an arched inscription: "She set an example by herself", under the edge, at the bottom - "October 12, 1768" [27, 28, 36]. Of particular interest is the silver and gold medal issued in Russia in 1765, with a half-length portrait of Empress Catherine II on the obverse, and an image of a mother protecting her children, with her arms outstretched above them, and the inscription "For smallpox vaccination" [27, 36]. The award, chest medal, was established on February 16, 1826, by the Regulation of the Committee of Ministers, approved by Emperor Nicholas I. Gold and silver medals, to be worn in the buttonhole on a green ribbon, were awarded to the most distinguished smallpox “vaccinators” in the provinces, according to lists approved by the emperor himself [27, 36]. According to the opinion of the Committee of Ministers, on December 27, 1827, approved by Emperor Nicholas I, gold medals intended for awarding priests and officials were issued not for wearing. In subsequent years, medals were issued on the basis of the "Medical Charter" [27, 36]. Persons who were awarded were given a special sheet (certificate) from the Imperial Free Economic Society for the right to wear the medal. Medals were made at the St. Petersburg Mint, at the expense of the Imperial Free Economic Society [27, 28, 36, 38, 45]. This medal is presented in this article as illustrative material, as screenshot copies, in different versions: a desktop memorial and a chest/award medal. The obverses and reverses of both versions of the medals, as well as a rare version – the “Award Medal “For Smallpox Vaccination” for the Residents of the Grand Duchy of Finland” (1830), with a portrait of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I on the obverse of this medal [46], are shown in Figure 6. The Medal “For Smallpox Vaccination” or “For Vaccination” is a state award of the Russian Empire, intended for individuals who carried out smallpox vaccination. The Medal “For Smallpox Vaccination” was silver, and there was also a gold version, not intended for wearing. These are special medals intended for the Grand Duchy of Finland. The medals are made of gold and silver. The diameter of the silver medals is 40 mm, the gold ones – 28 mm. On the reverse side of the medal is a female figure, personifying health, surrounded by children [47].

Figure 5: A selection of French commemorative medals dedicated to the outbreak of smallpox in France and the issue of vaccination against it

Figure 6: A selection of commemorative, table medals of the Russian Empire, “Having set an example” and a silver and gold medal “For smallpox vaccination”, Russia, 1826, dedicated to the process of vaccination against smallpox

In Figure 7, the obverse and reverse show two commemorative medals dedicated to the widespread introduction of smallpox vaccinations in France and, in particular, in Paris, using the method proposed by Edward Jenner, with an image on their obverse and/or reverse of a cow, thanks to which, or rather its disease – “cowpox”, Edward Jenner discovered and applied his revolutionary method of vaccination against smallpox in humans [1, 29, 30, 37, 40].

                                                                     Figure 7: Commemorative medals dedicated to the cow and the fight against smallpox

Also presented is one phaleristic, commemorative, award medal, on a block, in the form of a laurel branch, with an image on this chest medal of a seated Edward Jenner, who is giving his vaccination to a little boy sitting on his lap, as well as a commemorative chest medal of France, dedicated to smallpox vaccination [1, 40].

Figure 8: Commemorative breast medal dedicated to smallpox vaccination, by Edward Jenner himself

And finally, in conclusion of this research article, bonistic material will be presented, thematically dedicated to Edward Jenner, as well as immunization against smallpox and the fight against smallpox in the world [48]. This is a souvenir banknote of Russia, denominated in 5 rubles, with a portrait of Edward Jenner on the obverse and the famous plot of him vaccinating a child on the reverse of this banknote.

Figure 9: Souvenir banknote of Russia dedicated to the memory of Edward Jenner and his vaccinations against smallpox

This concludes another original research article, thematically devoted to the study of smallpox immunization/vaccination, the role and active involvement of the English scientist and physician Edward Jenner, as reflected in the collecting medium of numismatics, commemorative coins and medals from around the world, as well as in phaleristics, award and commemorative breast medals, and, in bonistics, the Russian 5-ruble souvenir banknote. The author is preparing a new study on the same topic, but this time focusing on collecting mediums such as philocarty (postal thematic cards) and philately.

1. The author of this research article presented the results of his research in a fairly complete, accessible and colorful manner, in accordance with the stated goal. 
2. The use of screenshot copies of phaleristic and numismatic collection materials in the article is quite appropriate, brightly and colorfully complements the text part of this article. 
3. The use of a wide variety of collection materials as illustrative material in research articles significantly expands our field of knowledge and can be actively used in teaching and studying various disciplines. 
4. The materials of this research article presented by the author, and their analysis, fully confirm the hypothesis put forward by the author of the research he conducted. 
5. In modern collecting tools, which can safely be attributed to the number of important, informative and auxiliary factors used in the study of the history of medicine, materials concerning the life and work of doctors of various medical fields, as well as issues of the history, formation, development and today of modern biology and medicine are cognitively and widely presented. 
6. Modern means of collecting, such as philately, phaleristics and numismatics, extensively, informatively and colorfully reveal various topics and biographies of medical heroes and abound in a significant amount of visual, colorful, historically important collection material. 
7. In total, in this research article, its author presents (in the obverse and in the reverse): numismatics: 45 commemorative, table medals of various shapes, 3 types of commemorative coins; 5 commemorative, chest medals - phaleristics.