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History Commons

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History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

Wofford College

Series

2015

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in History

The Rhetoric Of Nineteenth Century British Anti-Vaccinators: An Interdisciplinary Movement Of Medicine, Religion, Class, And Popular Culture, Madison P. Walter May 2015

The Rhetoric Of Nineteenth Century British Anti-Vaccinators: An Interdisciplinary Movement Of Medicine, Religion, Class, And Popular Culture, Madison P. Walter

Student Scholarship

Since the introduction of vaccination in 1796 by Edward Jenner, there has been a continuous debate regarding the practice of vaccination. The debate initially focused on ethical and religious opposition to vaccination, but quickly turned towards politics following the passing of compulsory vaccination laws in England in 1853. This politically charged debate regarding compulsion is what remains in the forefront of the minds of anti-vaccinators today. Does the government have the right to force vaccination upon its citizens?

This project is not an examination of ethics or the role of the government, and therefore does not seek to answer this …