What the First Anti-Vaccine Movement Reveals About Fear and Science

In the early 1800s, Edward Jenner introduced a vaccine against smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases in Europe. Smallpox killed many people and left survivors with permanent scars or disabilities. Jenner’s vaccine used material from cowpox, a much milder disease, to protect people from smallpox. The method was safe and effective, but it also caused fear and outrage.

Some people believed the vaccine could turn humans into animals. They thought children could grow horns or take on the faces of oxen. Others worried it could harm the mind or soul. Pamphlets, cartoons, and newspaper articles spread these fears, showing grotesque images of vaccine victims. Some religious leaders argued that vaccination was a human attempt to defy God, while doctors who practiced older methods—like variolation, which exposed people to smallpox itself—saw Jenner’s discovery as a threat to their income.

The anti-vaccine movement grew as vaccination became more widespread and even mandatory for some children. People protested, formed societies to resist the law, and sometimes attacked public officials or burned effigies of Jenner. Artists and cartoonists played a major role in shaping public perception, turning scientific debate into dramatic imagery of monstrous side effects and moral danger.

Despite these fears, Jenner’s vaccine worked and eventually helped eliminate smallpox. However, the controversies of Georgian Britain show that resistance to vaccines is not new. People have long been suspicious of medical advances, especially when they do not understand how they work or when they challenge social, religious, or financial interests. Early fears over cowpox echo in modern vaccine debates, reminding us that misinformation, moral panic, and distrust of science can persist for centuries.

Read the full article “What the First Anti-Vaccine Movement Reveals About Fear and Science” by Erica X Eisen

🔭   This summary was human-edited with AI-assist.