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 policies.

In the world of health and medicine, history often holds valuable lessons that can guide us today. One such historical gem is a postcard from 1875, which provides a stark reminder of the dangers of compulsory vaccination. Dr. Tess Lawrie has highlighted this postcard from The Society for Suppressing Compulsory Vaccination, which some fortunate people in England received in 1875. The postcard outlined four compelling reasons not to vaccinate children against smallpox, warning, “Be not deceived. Think for yourself.”

Smallpox vaccination: A historical fraud

The postcard, which is now faded with age, clearly transcribes the following:

FOUR REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE YOUR CHILDREN VACCINATED

1. Vaccination affords no protection against Small Pox.
   In Birmingham last year nearly 600 persons, mostly vaccinated, died of Small Pox, although the Public Vaccinator received, in 1873, in fees and awards for his successful vaccinations £1,173. ! Newmarket, another over-vaccinated community, has lately been visited with an epidemic of Small Pox.
2. It so lowers the vitality that they are rendered more liable to other diseases.
   Notice the great increase of Measles, Whooping-cough and Scarlatina since the Vaccination has been compulsory.
3. Great risk is incurred of contaminating their blood with loathsome and incurable maladies.
   In 1872-’73-’74, 1,074 Infants and Children, under 5 years of age, died of Syphilis in London alone. From these probably thousands of children were vaccinated, and contaminated. See Essays on Vaccination by Dr. PEARCE, DR. COLLINS, and others: also evidence of the eminent Surgeon J. Hutchinson, Esq, in the Medical Times Gazette, Feb 1st and 8th, 1873, for revolting revelations on this point.
4. Death from Pyaemia or Erysipelas often follows the operation.
   189 children under five years of age, died in London of Erysipelas in 1874.

Be not deceived. Think for yourself. The insertion of corrupt, diseased matter, (falsely called Vaccine Lymph,) into the blood of healthy infants can produce nothing but its legitimate fruit – Corruption – Disease – and Death.
This country will never be rid of Small Pox until vaccination is prohibited.

Published by the Society for Suppressing Compulsory Vaccination. August, 1875. W. YOUNG, Hon. Sec., 8, Neeld Terrace, Harrow Road, W.

Historical context: The smallpox pandemic response

The postcard from 1875 is a critical piece of history that challenges the widely held belief that smallpox vaccination was a miraculous success. Dr. Lawrie emphasizes that the smallpox vaccination program was not only ineffective but also harmful, causing more disease than it prevented. This historical context is crucial today, as we grapple with the implications of modern vaccination programs, particularly those for COVID-19.

1. Skepticism and rejection of smallpox vaccination:

Despite the initial skepticism and overwhelmingly negative data, the smallpox vaccination program gained traction and became compulsory in many regions. Dr. Woodville, in 1799, reported that the cowpox vaccine “proved a very severe disease” in some cases, with one child dying. The medical observer in 1809 reported over a dozen fatal cases of smallpox after vaccination, and similar reports continued throughout the 19th century.

2. Mandatory smallpox vaccination:

Governments responded to public skepticism by increasingly using force to mandate vaccination. In England, vaccination was made compulsory in 1853, with stricter laws passed in 1867. In the United States, Massachusetts created comprehensive vaccination laws in 1855, leading to the infamous 1872-1873 epidemic in Chicago, where over 2000 people contracted smallpox, with a fatality rate of 32% among children under 5.

3. The Leicester Model:

The most notable resistance to compulsory vaccination came from the city of Leicester in England. In 1885, a massive protest of 80,000 to 100,000 people erupted, leading to the replacement of the local government and the termination of vaccination mandates. The Leicester activists proposed a model of immediate quarantining of smallpox patients, disinfection of their homes and quarantining of their contacts, alongside improving public sanitation. This model, known as the Leicester Model, proved highly effective and gradually gained acceptance worldwide, ultimately contributing to the eradication of smallpox.

Modern implications

The parallels between the smallpox pandemic response and the current COVID-19 response are striking. Both pandemics have seen a rush to develop and distribute vaccines, often at the expense of thorough safety testing. Just as the smallpox vaccine caused more harm than good, the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines have been called into question by many health professionals and researchers.

Dr. Suzanne Humphries, a former board-certified nephrologist and co-author of “Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines and the Forgotten History,” has pointed out that the polio vaccine narrative is similarly flawed. She argues that the decline in polio cases was largely due to changes in diagnostic criteria and environmental factors, rather than the vaccine itself. Moreover, the introduction of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986 granted vaccine manufacturers immunity from lawsuits, leading to a significant decrease in vaccine safety standards.

Conclusion

The 1875 postcard from The Society for Suppressing Compulsory Vaccination serves as a powerful reminder of the potential dangers of untested and compulsory vaccination programs. As we navigate the complexities of modern health interventions, it is crucial to think critically, question the status quo and demand transparency and accountability from those who profit from our fear and compliance.

Let us not be deceived any longer. Let us stand firm in the protection of all children from the needle cult of vaccines and advocate for safer, more effective public health measures. The lessons of history are clear: we must not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Sources include:

TheExpose.com

MidwesternDoctor.com

VigilantFox.com