Postcard from 1875 highlights smallpox vaccine’s failure: Lessons for today’s COVID-19 response

An 1875 postcard from The Society for Suppressing Compulsory Vaccination warned against smallpox vaccination, citing ineffectiveness, increased disease susceptibility and contamination risks. It claimed vaccination did not prevent smallpox and linked it to deaths from other diseases like syphilis and erysipelas. Historical records showed vaccinated individuals still contracted and died from smallpox. Critics argued vaccines lowered immunity and spread other diseases, with documented fatalities post-vaccination. Governments enforced mandates (e.g., England’s 1853 law, U.S. state laws), leading to epidemics like Chicago’s 1872 outbreak (32% fatality in children under 5). Public backlash, including Leicester’s 1885 protest (80,000–100,000 people), led to policy changes. Leicester replaced mandates with quarantine, sanitation and contact tracing, which proved more effective than vaccination. This approach contributed to smallpox eradication and challenged compulsory vaccination

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