Correct Option: C  [ Edward Jenner ]
Remark:
Explanation: Edward Jenner, an English physician, is known as the “Father of Immunology.” In 1796, he observed that milkmaids who had previously suffered from cowpox (a mild disease) did not contract smallpox (a deadly viral disease). He tested his hypothesis by injecting a boy with material taken from a cowpox sore and later exposing him to smallpox — the boy did not develop the disease. This led to the development of the first vaccine, derived from the Latin word vacca meaning “cow.”
Significance: Jenner’s discovery laid the foundation of modern immunology and preventive medicine. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated by the WHO in 1980.