The Conversationalist Podcast - Episode 6: 'The 19thc Origins of the Anti-Vaccination Movement'

A new episode of The Conversationalist podcast is available today! In this episode, Dr Sally Frampton (ConSciCom, University of Oxford) and Dr Oskar Cox Jenson (Queen Mary University of London) discuss vaccination and the anti-vax movement in the 19th century. Warning: this episode features some catchy anti-vax songs you'll have trouble getting out of your head.

For more, scroll down to hear longer versions of the anti-vax songs in the episode, view 19th century satirical cartoons related to the anti-vax movement, and read about our exhibition Vaccination: Medicine and the Masses in this blog post.

Longer versions of the anti-vaccination songs featured in this episode:

Anti-vaccination illustrations and cartoons:

^{The Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Lantern slide, early 1900s. https://www.flickr.com/photos/collegeofphysicians/4167524518}

^{A monster being fed baskets of infants and excreting them with horns; symbolising vaccination and its effects. Etching by C. Williams, 1802?. Wellcome Images. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/aehkf98b}

^{Jenner and his two colleagues seeing off three anti-vaccination opponents, the dead are littered at their feet. Coloured etching by I. Cruikshank, 1808. Wellcome Images. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/j59k7jnk}