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Science

Contemporary debates on vaccination policies have historical parallels in Ransom Center’s collections

October 16, 2014 - Jennifer Yang

Page 32 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. In Jenner’s 17th case study, he inoculates for the first time a healthy patient who has no previous exposure to cowpox or smallpox. “I selected a healthy boy, about eight years old, for the purpose of inoculation for the Cow Pox. The matter was taken from the sore on the hand of a dairymaid, who was infected by her master’s cows…”

Recently, The New York Times published an article on vaccination that has highlighted a resurging controversy. In late June 2014, a federal judge upheld a New York City policy barring unimmunized children from public schools, and objectors have decried the policy as an infringement upon their rights. In the United States, incomplete vaccination rates were highest among the poor until 1994, when the Vaccines for Children Program made it more affordable. Now, these rates are highest among the middle- and upper-classes, due to increasing philosophical and religious objections. However, such controversy is hardly new in the centuries-old history of vaccination. Documents in the Ransom Center’s collections cast historical light upon the modern vaccination debate.

In 1721 Boston, a smallpox epidemic generated an atmosphere of fear and suspicion when prominent physician Zabdiel Boylston began to counter the illness with vaccination methods. Cotton Mather, a prominent Boston clergyman, publicly declared his support of Boylston’s practices and encouraged other physicians to do the same. Outraged mobs believed vaccinators to be no better than murderers, and Boylston and Mather became subject to popular attacks, culminating in Boylston going into hiding with his family and practicing medicine in disguise. An assassination attempt made on Mather expressed the furious sentiments of the Bostonian public, as a bomb was thrown through his window with the affixed message “COTTON MATHER, You Dog, Dam you: I’ll inoculate you with this, with a Pox to you.”

Vaccination came into more prominence and credulity with the publication of English physician Edward Jenner’s An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae in 1798. Jenner made the observation that farmhands and dairy maids, exposed to cowpox disease through their daily work, seemed to possess immunity against the more severe disease of smallpox. Jenner conducted an extensive series of cowpox inoculation case studies, often following patients for several years and even inoculating his own 11-month-old son, to see if his hypothesis about the effects of vaccination were true. Jenner’s findings increased general confidence in vaccination, as he proved that cowpox inoculations from human to human could guard against smallpox, while previously patients were more dangerously inoculated directly with the smallpox virus or from diseased animal matter.

Jenner’s work contributed to the passing of the UK Vaccination Acts, key vaccination laws ranging from 1840 to 1907. The 1840 Act made vaccination free, while from 1853 to 1874 a series of more stringent acts made vaccination compulsory and even penalized objectors with fines and imprisonment. Anti-vaccination groups and protestors became more common in this period, as citizens were gripped by fears of the rumored spread of diseases such as syphilis through negligent vaccinators. Vaccination Brought Home to the People, an 1876 pamphlet by Miss Chandos Leigh Hunt, exclaims “If the devil delights in torturing, as it is represented, then indeed must he revel in Vaccination!” Pamphlets and lectures expressing such sentiments abounded as membership in anti-vaccination leagues and groups increased. A famous supporter against the UK Vaccination Acts was playwright George Bernard Shaw, who in 1906 wrote a fervent letter of support to the National Anti-Vaccination League, equating official methods of vaccination with “rubbing the contents of the dustpan into the wound.” Dissent was somewhat appeased by the Vaccination Acts of 1889–1907, which enforced regulation and safety measures for vaccination, as well as allowing for conscientious objection.

The Ransom Center also possesses many manuscripts on French scientist Louis Pasteur and his work on vaccination.  Pasteur worked on a rabies vaccine from 1881 to 1885, experimenting on dogs, rabbits, apes, and eventually humans. A catalyst to his professional reputation came about in 1885, when Joseph Meister, a 9-year-old shepherd, was mauled by a rabid dog. Though Pasteur did not hold a license to practice medicine, he conferred with his colleagues about the possibility of treating the boy. His longtime friend and collaborator, physician Émile Roux, refused to work with him on the case. Finally, Pasteur found two eminent physicians who agreed to supervise the treatment. The boy recovered successfully, and Pasteur was lauded as a hero—he became nationally famous, with poets even writing odes to his genius, and went on to co-found the Pasteur Institute with Émile Roux on the laurels of his acclaimed scientific achievement.

Religious and philosophical objections have risen over the past decade, with religious exemptions for vaccinations nearly doubling in New York, and tripling in Ohio, where a measles outbreak spread throughout the Amish population. The nation has also seen a resurgence in measles and mumps, with the highest rate of measles since 1994. Debate over vaccination laws and compulsory policies in schools continues to rage, as fervent supporters arise to counter objectors in equal measure. Contemporary battles over vaccination controversy may find parallels in the past, as the centuries-old arguments and ideas resound in the modern voices of vaccination’s supporters and detractors.

Please click on the thumbnails below to view larger images.

Page 32 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. In Jenner’s 17th case study, he inoculates for the first time a healthy patient who has no previous exposure to cowpox or smallpox. “I selected a healthy boy, about eight years old, for the purpose of inoculation for the Cow Pox. The matter was taken from the sore on the hand of a dairymaid, who was infected by her master’s cows…”
Page 32 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. In Jenner’s 17th case study, he inoculates for the first time a healthy patient who has no previous exposure to cowpox or smallpox. “I selected a healthy boy, about eight years old, for the purpose of inoculation for the Cow Pox. The matter was taken from the sore on the hand of a dairymaid, who was infected by her master’s cows…”
Page 40 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. In the 22nd case study, Jenner’s 11-month-old son Robert was inoculated along with two other young children.
Page 40 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. In the 22nd case study, Jenner’s 11-month-old son Robert was inoculated along with two other young children.
Page 36 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. Jenner’s book was supplemented by detailed, color engraving prints by artist William Skelton. These illustrations, corresponding to adjacent case studies in the book, show the characteristic sores and pustules of cowpox patients.
Page 36 from “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccine” by Edward Jenner, 1798. Jenner’s book was supplemented by detailed, color engraving prints by artist William Skelton. These illustrations, corresponding to adjacent case studies in the book, show the characteristic sores and pustules of cowpox patients.
Cover of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Prolific anti-vaccination advocates produced an abundance of pamphlets, essays, and lectures in the late 1800s. “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” is an example of the common content of such pamphlets.
Cover of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Prolific anti-vaccination advocates produced an abundance of pamphlets, essays, and lectures in the late 1800s. “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” is an example of the common content of such pamphlets.
Page 29 of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Attacks on Jenner’s and other physicians’ characters and intentions were frequent in anti-vaccination arguments: “Jenner-ous Suggestion for the Benefit of the Jennerites: A little improvement would be to subject the doctors themselves to an annual or monthly vaccination as practiced and guaranteed by Jenner, and then we would have such a decimating of anti-Christ as would effectually rid us of this sulphurous host of Abaddon in one very short Jenneration.”
Page 29 of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Attacks on Jenner’s and other physicians’ characters and intentions were frequent in anti-vaccination arguments: “Jenner-ous Suggestion for the Benefit of the Jennerites: A little improvement would be to subject the doctors themselves to an annual or monthly vaccination as practiced and guaranteed by Jenner, and then we would have such a decimating of anti-Christ as would effectually rid us of this sulphurous host of Abaddon in one very short Jenneration.”
Page 35 of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Many saw vaccination as unsafe, dangerous, and deadly. In her conclusion, Chandos Leigh Hunt declares “If the devil delights in torturing, as it is represented, then indeed must he revel in Vaccination!”
Page 35 of “Vaccination Brought Home to the People” by Chandos Leigh Hunt, 1876. Many saw vaccination as unsafe, dangerous, and deadly. In her conclusion, Chandos Leigh Hunt declares “If the devil delights in torturing, as it is represented, then indeed must he revel in Vaccination!”
Letter from George Bernard Shaw to Charles Gane, 1906. In this letter from Shaw to the secretary of the National Anti-Vaccination League, the famed writer vehemently and wittily presents his protests against contemporary vaccination methods in Britain.
Letter from George Bernard Shaw to Charles Gane, 1906. In this letter from Shaw to the secretary of the National Anti-Vaccination League, the famed writer vehemently and wittily presents his protests against contemporary vaccination methods in Britain.
“Le Glaneur, Mars 1889.” This issue of Le Glaneur, a French literary magazine, was formerly owned by Louis Pasteur and was likely sent to him as a gift. The issue opens with four poems written in homage to Pasteur, praising his successful rabies vaccine. The first poem, which was judged as the winner, ends with the phrase “Comme l’étoile dans l’orage/Tu planes plus haut que l’outrage/Et la Paix couronne ton front! (Like the star in the storm/You glide higher than outrage/And peace crowns your forehead!)”
“Le Glaneur, Mars 1889.” This issue of Le Glaneur, a French literary magazine, was formerly owned by Louis Pasteur and was likely sent to him as a gift. The issue opens with four poems written in homage to Pasteur, praising his successful rabies vaccine. The first poem, which was judged as the winner, ends with the phrase “Comme l’étoile dans l’orage/Tu planes plus haut que l’outrage/Et la Paix couronne ton front! (Like the star in the storm/You glide higher than outrage/And peace crowns your forehead!)”
“Dr. Roux” by Robert Kastor. Émile Roux worked with Pasteur for 17 years, beginning as Pasteur’s laboratory research assistant at age 25 and eventually becoming a co-founder of the Pasteur Institute. His signature may be seen to the bottom right of this portrait.
“Dr. Roux” by Robert Kastor. Émile Roux worked with Pasteur for 17 years, beginning as Pasteur’s laboratory research assistant at age 25 and eventually becoming a co-founder of the Pasteur Institute. His signature may be seen to the bottom right of this portrait.

Filed Under: Research + Teaching Tagged With: An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae, anti-vaccination movement, Chandos Leigh Hunt, Cotton Mather, Edward Jenner, Émile Roux, exhibition, George Bernard Shaw, Joseph Meister, Louis Pasteur, measles, National Anti-Vaccination League, rabies, Research, Science, UK Vaccination Acts, Vaccination Brought Home to the People, vaccinations, vaccines, Vaccines for Children Program, Zabdiel Boylston

Newly cataloged collection of science materials now open for research

February 28, 2012 - Alicia Dietrich

A drawing of Halley's Comet by Caroline Herschel in 1835–1836.
A drawing of Halley's Comet by Sir John F. W. Herschel in 1835–1836.

A collection of science materials from the family of Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792–1871) is now open for research after a grant enabled staffers to rehouse the collection and to create an online inventory.

The Herschel family papers, acquired in 1960 with subsequent smaller accessions of additional materials, largely represent the life and work of Herschel, the English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor. John Herschel has been called Britain’s first modern physical scientist, and his correspondence has been noted as one of the most valuable archives for 19th-century science.

The Herschel family papers at the Ransom Center form a significant resource for the study of the history of science in general and also for studies in astronomy, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The lives of the Herschels, their ground-breaking achievements, their interactions with other leading scientists of their time, and their influence on their colleagues’ work are topics scholars may pursue in the papers. The Ransom Center’s Herschel collection is exceeded in size only by the collection at the Royal Society in London.

The cataloging project was funded by a $10,000 grant from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics.

Filed Under: Cataloging, Research + Teaching Tagged With: American Institute of Physics, astronomy, Caroline Herschel, Friends of the Center for History of Physics, history of science, Research, Science, Sir. John F. W. Herschel, William Herschel

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