TY - JOUR AU - Weber, Thomas P. T1 - Alfred Russel Wallace and the Antivaccination Movement in Victorian England T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2010 VL - 16 IS - 4 SP - 664 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Alfred Russel Wallace, eminent naturalist and codiscoverer of the principle of natural selection, was a major participant in the antivaccination campaigns in late 19th-century England. Wallace combined social reformism and quantitative arguments to undermine the claims of provaccinationists and had a major impact on the debate. A brief account of Wallace’s background, his role in the campaign, and a summary of his quantitative arguments leads to the conclusion that it is unwarranted to portray Victorian antivaccination campaigners in general as irrational and antiscience. Public health policy can benefit from history, but the proper context of the evidence used should always be kept in mind. KW - Vaccination KW - Alfred Russel Wallace KW - vaccines KW - England KW - historical review DO - 10.3201/eid1604.090434 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/4/09-0434_article ER - End of Reference