Huh.
I’ve been having a blast lately trawling the British Newspaper Archive. I don’t recommend it, though – it costs money.
I ran across this item from 1866. A man was brought before the magistrates by the Vaccination Officer for not having his daughter vaccinated against smallpox. His reason was that the vaccine had terribly damaged his son.
According to Grok, the Vaccination Act of 1853 was the first to mandate vaccines. Infants were to be vaccinated against smallpox within the first three months of life, on pain of fines and imprisonment.
The item goes on to say the that members of the Anti-Vaccination Society had their fees paid by the society. According to ChatGPT:
The Vaccination Act of 1853 was controversial because it represented an early and aggressive assertion of state power over individual health decisions. It sparked widespread public opposition, laid the foundations of the anti-vaccination movement in Britain, and led to significant debate about the balance between public health and individual rights.
Specific numbers aren’t available, but some kids really did get sick. Not least because consistent manufacture and dosages weren’t available then. They finally introduced a conscientious objection clause in 1898.
Huh.
May 29, 2025 — 5:37 pm
Comments: 3