The Original Anti-Vaxxers | History Today
Anti-vaccination protests are nothing new, although in the past they did have some justification. When Edward Jenner introduced smallpox inoculation at the end of the 18th century he was widely derided as yet another quack trying to make a quick fortune. Envious rivals were swift to point out his lack of professional qualifications, while one satirist imagined his children turning into cows after being vaccinated: There, nibbling at thistle, stand Jem, Joe and Mary On their foreheads, Oh, horrible! Crumpled horns bud … Jenner’s technique sounded bizarre and the testing programme was perfu...