Vaccinations and anti-Vaxxers with Jim Harris
Episode 29 - September 29, 2020
Jim Harris (Ohio State University) joins Merle and Lee to offer an overview of the development of vaccinations since the first smallpox vaccine in the late 18th century. The discussion touches upon pre-18th century practices for treating smallpox, before examining the spread in vaccination use. The second part of the interview moves to discuss anti-vaccination ideas and movements in their socio-cultural contexts. Finishing at the present, it covers the main factors influencing anti-vaccination as the group attempts to understand it as a historical phenomenon.
Further Reading
- Ian and Jenifer Glynn, The Life and Death of Smallpox (Profile Books, 2005).
- Michael Willrich, Pox: An American History (Penguin, 2011).
- John Rhodes, The End of Plagues: The Global Battle Against Infectious Disease (Palgrave, 2013).
- Seth Mnookin, The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Austism Controversy (Simon & Schuster, 2012).
- James Colgrove, State of Immunity: The Politics of Vaccination in Twentieth-Century America. (University of California Press, 2006).
- Nadja Durbach, Bodily Matters: The Anti-Vaccination Movement in England, 1853-1907 (Durham: Duke University Press, 2005).
Our Guest
Jim Harris,
Lecturer, Department of History, Ohio State University.
