Alfred Russel Wallace and the Antivaccination Movement in Victorian England

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Weber, Thomas P.
• Description:
  Alfred Russel Wallace, eminent naturalist and codiscoverer of the principle of natural selection, was a major participant in the antivaccination campaigns in late 19th-century England. Wallace combined social reformism and quantitative arguments to undermine the claims of provaccinationists and had a major impact on the debate. A brief account of Wallace's background, his role in the campaign, and a summary of his quantitative arguments leads to the conclusion that it is unwarranted to portray Victorian antivaccination campaigners in general as irrational and antiscience. Public health policy can benefit from history, but the proper context of the evidence used should always be kept in mind.
• Subjects:
  Alfred Russel Wallace England Historical Review History, 19th Century Humans Public Health Selection, Genetic Smallpox Smallpox Vaccine Vaccination Vaccines

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• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 16(4):664-668.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:ecec6b940931a8f5b416936394a6d2e845744c85cb293f3370ab91f876f37250
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/17891/cdc_17891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 218.77 KB ]