Author Talk - Kingston: A History of Vaccines & Anti-Vaxxers

Local retired drug regulator and medical historian Tony Cartwright tells the story of two centuries of antivaxxers, starting with objections by ‘Anti-Vacks’ to Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine in the early 19th century, the later crusaders who denied that germs caused disease, to the current campaigns of misinformation about measles vaccine and Covid-19.  During the 19th century it was compulsory for children to be vaccinated against smallpox, but there was resistance and in 1872 688 Kingston children had not been vaccinated out of 4379 born in the previous two years. Parents were taken to court and fined.  Liberal Party MPs campaigned to change the law.