Looking Back | Roger Guttridge

The Anti-vaccine argument? It’s 135 years old.

The closer we came to a vaccine, the more rapid the rise of conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns. But is this anything new? If we look back in time, we see it’s really not.

Theres’ a great example in a popular pamphlet published in 1885 during the smallpox epidemic in Montréal. Over a hundred years later we enjoy the luxury of living in a world that has eradicated smallpox - thanks to a vaccine. Published by a leading anti-vaccinationist, Dr. Alexander M. Ross, this pamphlet was widely circulated as the health officials attempted to increase vaccinations.

What’s interesting is not that Dr Ross was discovered to have had the vaccine himself (the papers had afield day there!), but the arguments he used can easily be recognised in the anti-vaxxer strategies of 2020.

1 - Minimize the threat

Ross and his associates dismissed the threat of smallpox, despite an almost 40% mortality rate and

Images taken from Dr. Ross’s 1885 pamphlet denouncing smallpox vaccination. (HathiTrust Digital Library)

its contagiousness. Ross declared it was ‘senseless panic’ and the city had very few cases (sound familiar?) Official numbers for Montreal recorded over 3000 deaths; nearly 2% of the population at the time.

2 - Claim vaccine causes illness or is ineffective

Modern anti-vaxxers have claimed vaccines cause autism, but our ancestors used a much more scattergun approach in their allegations. Claiming a whole spectrum of diseases from small-pox itself to bloodpoisoning. Perhaps not always groundless due to poor hygiene practices, but consistently exaggerated. Eventually the poor practices (the lack of sterile cleaning) that saw the spread of disease were eradicated and lead us to the way we conduct our safe vaccination process today.

3 - Declare vaccination is part of a bigger conspiracy

Dr Ross claimed the role of the press and the medical profession stoked the fears of ordinary folk as part of a ‘mad’ campaign to gain money and employment for those in research, was painted as unethical and at the expense of the poor.

Public health measures were depicted to be an assault on personal rights, and the government was abusing its power.

These arguments still echo today as we see a constant and continued belief that there is a conspiracy to limit our freedoms.

4 - Use alternative authorities to legitimize your argument

Last but not least is an appeal to authorities that help the antivaccination argument.

The modern anti-vaxxer, thanks to the wonders of the internet, has an abundance of these at his disposal. But the anti-vaccination movement has had a long tradition of promoting the words of “experts” who support their narrative. 100 years ago, debates often brought together a small circle of medical men who were only too happy to talk against vaccination, claiming it was a ‘filthy and evil ‘practice. Their arguments were rebuffed by their medical peers, but they gained prestige as authoritative voices amongst the antivaccination, seemingly providing the proof that was needed.

The rhetoric we hear today is nothing new, there has always been throughout history someone looking to capitalize or to push their own agenda.

Of course, today with modern technology, the strategy of misinformation has evolved, it has never been easier to spread your message.

As the COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out across the world, you will probably see an increase in this kind of misinformation. Breaking down patterns of arguments seen repeatedly in the past can provide a useful lesson for combating them in the future.