London Vaccine Institution certificate, 1826.

Certificate isued to John Richard Bernie as an honorary member of the London Vaccine Institution on 18th December 1826. Vaccination is the procedure of introducing dead or inactivated disease-causing microorganisms into the body in order to promote the production of antibodies in the body, providing immunity against the disease. The first succesful vaccination was carried out by Edward Jenner (1749-1823) in 1798, against smallpox.