Edward Jenner continued to face several restrictions when publishing his work

The publication did not instantly receive a good response. Jenner traveled to London in search of volunteers for the immunization campaign but was unsuccessful after a three-month visit. Through the efforts of others, particularly the surgeon Henry Cline, to whom Jenner had given some of the inoculants, and the doctors George Pearson and William Woodville, vaccination gained popularity in London. There were challenges, some of which were unpleasant; Pearson attempted to detract from Jenner's accomplishments, and Woodville, a doctor working in a smallpox hospital, infected the cowpox material with the smallpox virus.

Even though Jenner demonstrated that smallpox could be prevented through vaccination, his approach wasn't immediately adopted. First of all, cowpox wasn't common, so doctors had to get Jenner's cowpox material to test the process. Second, because it was managed by physicians who performed variolations or worked in smallpox hospitals, the situation was frequently tainted with the disease. Additionally, the biological mechanisms underlying immunity were not yet fully known; hence, it took a lot of data to be gathered and a lot of trial-and-error to design an efficient technique, even on an empirical foundation. People were also concerned about the negative effects of receiving treatment with animal products. Last but not least, there was religious hostility to immunization due to receiving components from God's lower creation. Despite these obstacles, Jenner's discovery quickly became a hit and spread throughout Europe. Napoleon minted a unique medal as a monument to him in 1804 and the Empress of Russia gave him a ring as a present, among other honors.