‘We are being frightened to death by microbes. It is germs, germs, germs everywhere. Must one give up shaking hands, kissing, eating, and drinking? With all the germs ever-present, it is a wonder that any of us are alive at all.
Walter Hadwen
When you read that quotation, you might reasonably assume that it was written recently and refers to the Covid ‘pandemic’. In actual fact, it was written in 1853, the year the Compulsory Vaccination Act was passed in Britain. The Act required all babies under three months old to be vaccinated against smallpox.
I came across this quote in Bodily Matters: The Anti-Vaccination Movement in England, 1853–1907 (Radical Perspectives) by Nadja Durbach (Duke University Press Durham and London, 2005). When I first read the book several years ago, I had no idea we were about to relive the turbulent times described in its pages.
The fact is, we may feel that the events of the past two years are unprecedented, but we would be wrong. It has all happened before, and not too long ago.
In the latter half of the 19th century, a war raged between those who felt the threat caused by a microbe justified mandating a medical procedure and those who demanded the right to medical freedom for themselves and their families. It wasn’t until 1898 that the government brought in a Vaccination Act allowing for ‘conscientious objection’.
That war is raging again, and in many ways, we stand today on the freedom bought by the grit, determination, and self-sacrifice of those who braved fines, imprisonments, unemployment and worse nearly two centuries ago.
The similarities between what happened then and what is happening now are astounding. (I just plan to list them here, but hopefully i will return to many of these points in more detail in later articles.)
This is what was happening in the late 1800’s. Does it sound familiar?
- There was a lot of fearmongering in the press, and the press promoted the official narrative without questioning it.
- Medical opinions that disagreed with the official narrative were suppressed.
- There was no actual proof that a dangerous microbe existed and was causing disease.
- Statistics were manipulated and abused.
- The poor were hit hardest by the Compulsory Vaccination Act. The privileged could avoid vaccination if they chose to.
- Defaulters were pursued from parish to parish. (Today’s track and trace.)
- ‘Anti-vaxxers’ were considered eccentric.
- The resistance was led by those who believed their loved-ones had been injured by the vaccine.
- Other serious health issues (e.g., cholera) were pushed to the background. The focus remained on smallpox and vaccination.
- Many vaccine injuries were reported.
- Workers were forced to choose between taking the vaccine or losing their jobs.
The question now is what happens next.
In the 19th century, vaccine, refusers were eventually subjected to fines, confiscation of goods, and imprisonments. Will history repeat itself in the 21st century?
One reason our great-grandparents succeeded in forcing the government to bring in the conscientious objection clause is that they got organised and supported each other. And they achieved this without the internet.
I pray we will learn from them and follow in their footsteps.
Long live medical freedom!
I’m writing a series of short stories based on the book Bodily Matters.
Check out the first one here.