Giacomo Pylarini becomes the first immunologist: he inoculates with smallpox the children of the English ambassador to Constantinople in 1701 in hopes of preventing more serious smallpox sickness when the children are older.

Pylarini, a Venetian born in Cefalonia, had studied law and then physic at Padua before receiving his degree of MD, then traveled to different parts of Asia and Africa and practiced both at Smyrna and Constantinople.

In Moscow, he had been appointed physician to the Russian Tsar Peter the Great.

Returning to Smyrna for the second time, he resides there as the Venetian Consul as well as practicing physician.