Arpan K. Banerjee
Solihull, England

Infectious diseases have been a scourge throughout human history. The first recorded epidemic was of the plague that occurred in Athens from 430–427 BC, chronicled in the writings of Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War. In nineteenth-century Britain, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid, measles, smallpox, and cholera were major causes of death. Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine in 1796 was the beginning of triumph over these terrible illnesses, which often cut short the lives of many adults and children.

Every new discovery goes hand in hand with skepticism. This includes the critics of Jenner’s smallpox vaccine, who did not believe in the germ theory of disease. Prominent amongst Jenner’s critics were John Birch, a surgeon at St. Thomas’s Hospital, London, who in 1807 wrote critically about adverse reactions to the vaccine. Other sceptics of smallpox vaccination included Florence Nightingale and Alfred Wallace, the distinguished naturalist.

In the UK, the anti-vaccination league was a powerful force throughout the nineteenth century. It was a group of diverse individuals that included physicians, politicians, and writers who campaigned vociferously against compulsory vaccination. They were the followers of Antoine Bechamp, a French chemist and germ theory denialist who did not agree with the bacteriological advances made by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch.

At the outbreak of WWI, soldiers in the UK were only advised to have vaccinations against typhoid, much to the chagrin of Sir William Osler, the leading physician of his day, who believed immunizations for soldiers should be compulsory. He was fighting against the prominent vaccination skeptics of his time, including the famous British writer George Bernard Shaw, a prominent anti-vaxxer. Shaw even satirized advances made by the Ukrainian bacteriologist Metchnikoff in his 1906 play The Doctors Dilemma.

Anthony Cartwright, the author of A History of Vaccines and Anti-Vaxxers, is a retired pharmacist and medical historian. Infectious diseases are discussed first as an overview and then covered individually in chapters. The smallpox vaccine and its detractors receive detailed coverage. In the section on BCG vaccination, we are reminded of the Lubeck disaster in Germany, in which corners were cut and procedures were not followed. These are followed by chapters on polio and influenza vaccinations and their opposers. The MMR vaccination and the saga of Andrew Wakefield, who tried to show a link between this triple vaccine and autism through research subsequently shown to be flawed, is described in detail and illustrates the harm that can occur when skepticism of vaccinations spreads through the population.

The subject of COVID and its vaccine skeptics shows how human behavior is not always rational. Social and cultural forces often conflict with logical, scientific medical knowledge.

The fascinating stories of the different vaccines made over the last 200 years and opposition to them have been researched thoroughly and placed in their historic context. The book is well-written, with extensive references, making it a useful source of information for future researchers in this field.

A History of Vaccines and Anti-Vaxxers: Myth vs. Reality
Anthony C. Cartwright
Pen and Sword Books, Barnsley, UK (2025)
ISBN 9781399069731