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The Importance Of Vaccination

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The decision of whether or not to vaccinate children has been a debated topic since the 1800s, beginning with the small pox vaccination. The “Anti-Vaccination Movement” arose from the fear these vaccinations did more harm than good to children. From causing autism to frightening side-effects, the anti-vaccination and pro-vaccination movements have spread rapidly over the last few hundred years. Researching this topic, a word that appears many times is evidence. In the context of the anti-vaccination movement, evidence does not mean research and studies, but rather personal experience and accounts of other’s; while in the context of the pro-vaccination movement, evidence means an idea or theory is proven by research and/or studies. Beginning with the small pox vaccination, there is a case in which a father would not allow for his child to receive the vaccination on the grounds that “’it was well-known that bulls go mad every seven years, and that the cows make them mad; that these same cows are used for vaccinating children; and that the children go mad.’” (“A new Argument Against Vaccination”) This quote was found in an article published in “The British Medical Journal” in 1891. While some would count this article as outdated, it’s relevance is still important. While the father does not use the word “evidence,” he is basing his own knowledge of the fact bulls go mad due to the cows, and since the same cows are used for making the small-pox vaccination, that his child
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